


The Partner

by Endangered_Slug



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, K9 cop, Prompt Based, accidentally angsty, friends to something more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-21
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-18 22:24:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 40,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3586236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Endangered_Slug/pseuds/Endangered_Slug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Melissabosquez prompted: falling in love with your best friend’s partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a short, sweet one shot way back in December in which I demonstrated that I was a little shit. Then, a few Tuesdays ago, I got an ask for a follow up. And then another and another and so on until, well... I guess now it's an ongoing story. 
> 
> It's also probably not what you are thinking. ;)

"Oh, look at him! He is so gorgeous, I just want to take him home and snuggle him up! He can sleep next to me, it’s not like I mind the hair anyway."

Belle smiled up at Nick Good, her best friend of ten years, as she scratched behind the ears of his newest partner. I love him, she mouthed with exaggeration before turning her attention back to the German Shepherd in front of her.

"What a good boy you are! You are so smart and you will catch all the bad guys and chew on people who don’t return their books on time. Yes, you will!"

Far from being the intimidating police dog he’d been trained to be, the dog simply laid down where she was kneeling and rolled over allowing her small hands to rub on his belly with abandon.

"What’s his name, Nick,"" she asked, finally turning her attention to the human standing next to the dog.

He was smiling down at her with a funny look on his face. “Zoso,” he said.

At the sound of his name Zoso flipped back over, alert, with his huge ears twitching, ready for another command.

Belle rubbed his neck affectionately, proud of her friend for achieving his life long dream of being a K9 cop. Proud that he stuck with the program and completed the training.

"I think he likes you," Nick said fondly.

Belle’s attention was all on the dog, but her heart was some place else entirely when she whispered, “Be a good boy and take care of him for me.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous asked: TMI December prompts Partner: Hey canine cop Nick, how's your new partner working out for you? Already getting jealous about the amount of belly rubs Belle is bestowing on Zoso?

Gold watched in amusement as Zoso flopped on the floor of the library, legs up in the air in surrender as Belle crouched beside him. She was wearing her fluffy pink sweater and it would be covered in dog hair before five minutes was up. He smiled at the thought as he glanced around taking in all the decorations scattered around.

Belle had gone all out for Valentine’s Day. Pink and red hearts were hung up over all the book cases and a swag of cupids was strung up over the front desk. She’d had holiday coloring pages out for the kids for a month and pinned them up along the wall in the children’s section to display their artwork. Chocolate kisses wrapped in red and pink foil were in a clear glass jar by the checkout and a small, plastic tree was set up front decorated with pink lights and felt hearts.

It looked obscene.

“The place looks nice, Belle,” he said, turning his attention back to the pretty brunette who was currently reducing his police dog to a puppy puddle. He’d probably have to relearn how to bark after this visit. Zoso always had a soft spot for the librarian, something he had in common with his master though only he was actually able to show it sufficiently. Gold never really let on to Belle how much she meant to him and he wasn’t sure how to go about it. He couldn’t seem to get the words out. So he and Zoso made frequent visits to Belle in her library when they were on duty – as part of their rounds, he’d told her, never mentioning that seeing the way her eyes lit up at the sight of his partner made his insides curl up and tighten to the point of breathlessness.

Things have been strange between the two of them ever since he came back from his training. He’d always had a sort of crush on her, but now it had gotten to the point where he couldn’t function around her properly. They’d gone their separate ways for college just fine, keeping in touch over the years without issue, getting together whenever they could manage it. Then he’d gone off to the academy while she started working at the library and things were fine between them. Then he came back with Zoso and it was as if his best friend had disappeared and been replaced with a changeling. It was weird now. _She_ was weird. And she paid more attention to the dog than she did to him and it made him irritable whenever he thought about it.

He was jealous of his dog, it was ridiculous.

She smiled up at him. “Thanks! It was Ariel’s doing, really. She went a bit overboard, but it’s fun and the patrons like it.” She stood up, brushing at her sweater and skirt uselessly – the hair was everywhere. “You, uh, you have plans for tonight?”

Gold shrugged. “Not really. We’re working until six and then we’ll probably have a pizza at the house.” He took a deep breath, glancing down at his partner, who was staring at him with soulful brown eyes, before looking back at Belle. “Do you want to stop by later? Zoso would probably like to see you in an off duty manner.”

Belle frowned and bit her lip in consternation. “I… that sounds nice, Nick, but I have a date. It’s Valentine’s Day,” she reminded him gently.

He was so stupid. Of course. Of course she had a date. Probably a boyfriend, too, which he’d have known if he talked to her more. Or, if she talked to him more rather than his dog. Maybe he could haul her in for interrogation. All it would take would be an offer to let her walk Zoso for an hour and she’d have told the animal everything. He could bug his collar probably.

He nodded his head. “Oh, right, right. Slipped my mind. I’ve been a bit busy.” He gave her a crooked smile that felt as fake as it probably looked.

“I could maybe cancel… if you want” she said tentatively. “It’s just something Ruby set up. Said it was sad that I didn’t have a date for tonight…”

He shook his head, reaching down for Zoso’s leash. “No, you have fun on your date. I’ll maybe catch you some other time, yeah?”

She gave him a watery smile. “Yeah. That would be nice, Nick.” Her smile brightened up when she looked at the dog. “I’ll see you later, Zoso! Take care of Nick for me.”

Gold shook his head and led his partner out of the library into the crisp February air. It smelled like snow, not unusual for winter in Maine, though it never stuck much in the coastal town. Still, it would make driving conditions tricky with ice on the roads. Maybe he should offer to take someone’s shift tonight. Just in case.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous asked: How did Belle's date go?

* * *

“I had a nice evening, Gavin,”Belle said, stepping back towards her door, her hand already digging into her purse.

It was true. She’d had a nice night with a nice man and ate a nice dinner after which there was a nice desert and now they’d had a nice walk back to her apartment. It was… _nice_.

“It was my pleasure, Belle. I’m glad you agreed to meet me tonight. I know Valentine’s is usually not a first date type of thing, but I appreciate it.”

She smiled at him, fishing her keys out of her purse as politely as she could. “Well, it was good to have a date for once instead of hanging out with the girls.” And since a certain policeman and his dog couldn’t be bothered to ask her in time, she didn’t see the harm in it. She bit her lip to keep from pouting like a child.

Gavin stuffed his fingers into his jacket pockets and stepped closer. “So… would it be okay if I saw you again?”

That took her by surprise. She hadn’t thought ahead and what might happen after tonight. It might be good for her to start thinking of people other than Nick for a change, she thought. He’d become so distant ever since he came back from K-9 training. She thought that he might have met someone, but he never mentioned it and she felt awkward being the one to bring it up. Maybe it was just a natural end to their friendship. Sometimes people just grow apart. It happened. Maybe it was time to move on.

An ambulance siren whirrred loudly in the distance, distracting her from answering. Her heart plunged for a moment until she remembered that Nick went off duty at six and was now at home with a pizza, probably watching a buddy movie and drinking a beer and curled up with Zoso on the couch.

“Belle,” Gavin asked, concerned. “Is something wrong?”

She gave her head a tiny shake. “I’m sorry, I got lost in thought for a moment.” She smiled up at him. “I  would love it if you called again.”

His answering smile was almost worth it. “That’s great! I’ll call you tomorrow then?” he said starting to walk backwards, but keeping his attention on her.

She nodded. “Yeah, that’s good. Watch out for the—”

Too late he’d already run into the light pole with a thunk. A pile of snow plopped on his head and slid off down his shoulders.

“Ow,” he said, shaking his head. “Please tell me that was more adorable than embarrassing.”

She laughed. “It was pretty adorable, actually. Are you okay?”

He brushed the snow from his hair, chuckling and blushing. “Yeah. Just a bit of wounded pride is all.”

“Don’t feel bad. I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow. Yes.” He paused then, “I guess I’d better watch where I’m going.”

“That would be a good idea,” she agreed. “It’s pretty icy out.”

Had it been Nick, she’d have offered to let hm spend the night. But he was not Nick.

“Goodnight, Belle.”

“’Night, N— Gavin.” She waved him off then let herself into her apartment.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymousnerdgirl asked: I am an angst demon, I apologize in advance. K-9 Partners prompt: Gold gets into a nasty accident on Valentine's Day night.

Belle stared at the phone in front of her, telling herself that she’d wait another day before calling Nick. It was Sunday, the library was closed and there was no reason why she’d have a chance to see him or Zoso this afternoon. She’d have to make the first move as was the new norm, but calling him up would contravene her new resolution — now all of twelve hours old — to move on from Nick and now she felt stuck. She wanted to talk to him, but she also needed him to want to talk to her and so she deliberately did nothing at all.

She picked it up, flipping it over and over in her hands, hoping that Nick would take the first step for once and call her, but the phone didn’t ring or buzz with a text so she set it aside with frustration.

She just had to get through the day. One day without contact wouldn’t kill either of them. She’d gone longer without talking to him before, back when they were in college and then when he went to the police academy, but this was different. This was…

Giving up.

She’d see him tomorrow when he came in with Zoso, but this, this not calling him on Sunday, was the first step in a new direction in her life. A life not spent by Nick’s side as she’d secretly dreamed of for years. A life taking her into an unknown direction. It was a bit thrilling, daring to imagine a new future. Scary. Lonely, too, but maybe not for long. It would just take time to fully get over Nick in that way. They’d still be friends.

Belle firmly turned the phone off and tucked it into her purse. It was too cold to go out, she thought, considering what to do now that there was this blank space in her life.

In the end she spent the day organizing her bookshelves and preparing her lunches for the week. It wasn’t very exciting, but she enjoyed the quiet solitude of the routine. She remembered to pack a biscuit with her lunch for Zoso when he made his regular visit and waited all day for both of them.

Neither came.

Well, that was telling wasn’t it? Maybe she should have called Nick yesterday. Maybe he was upset with her for ignoring him.

But that was ridiculous and petty and Nick was neither of those things. He was sweet and funny and a little bit crazy, but he wouldn’t just drop her. He probably had police business to attend to. It happens. He’d probably call her later on to tell her all about it.

Except he didn’t.

Tuesday afternoon she was in full on panic mode, only surviving her daily routine through sheer will alone. She’d called his phone, but it went straight to voicemail and soon that was full to the point where she couldn’t leave another message.

At three Gavin called again, but she was too distracted to pay attention to him and hurried off the phone with the promise of meeting for coffee in a few days before quickly hanging up just in case Nick called.

She closed an hour early and drove to his apartment, banging on the door with the flat of her hand, but Zoso wasn’t there to bark at her and Nick didn’t answer the door. She’d go to the station next and sit in the lobby until he showed up. He had to come in at the end of his shift.

"Hey!"

Belle whirled around to see Nick’s neighbor coming around the corner, holding an overloaded bag of groceries. She swept her hair off her face, giving him a trembling smile.

"Hi, Mr. Gepetto. Do you need help with your groceries?"

"No, thank you, Belle," he said with a warm smile. "Are you here to get Nick’s things?"

It was as if her chest tried to squeeze every last molecule of air from her lungs. “What?” she breathed.

"Nick’s things. I offered to take him some stuff, but he told me he didn’t need anything."

"Take Nick what things… where?" she spoke slowly, wanting to be quite clear that she had no idea what he was talking about.

"You don’t know?" he asked, appalled. "

"I will know once you tell me, Mr. Gepetto. Please, what happened to Nick?" she knew she was beginning to sound hysterical. She felt hysterical, it was only fitting.

"The bridge collapse? You heard about it?"

Belle thought, frantically. Yes, she heard about it. A car slid on the ice and went over the railing, one of her patrons said. Crashed right through and into the river, they said, but truth be told, Belle was so wrapped up in her own world that she didnt pay attention to the details.

"But that happened last Saturday, what does to do with Nick? And where’s Zoso?"

"Belle, it was Nick’s patrol car that went over."

That squeezing, breathless sensation came back like a punch to the gut. “No, that’s not possible. He was off Saturday night,” she insisted.

Gepetto shrugged. “Off or not, he and Zoso went over.”

"Where are they now?"

"Nick’s at the hospital. Zoso’s…" Gepetto shook his head sadly.

Belle ran.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A ton of people said: *incoherent screaming*

Nick had never been a large man — he was strong and wiry and capable of bench pressing Belle, which she found out once during a drunken dare, but Belle didn’t realize how small he actually was before seeing him engulfed by the large hospital bed with tubing coming out of him in places she didn’t want to think about. They were attached to bags holding mysterious substances and there were machines that beeped incessantly crowding out the small space. He was diminished somehow, wrapped up in casts and nearly purple from head to toe. She wouldn’t have recognized him as her dear friend if the name on the door and the lurking presence of one of his police buddies in a chair next to the bed didn’t tell her otherwise and she had to duck back into the hallway, fighting back another flood of tears before she could enter the room.

She took a deep breath and walked in, tapping on the door frame softly to let the attending officer know she was there.

“Hey, Graham,” she whispered, stepping around the food tray and an extra chair to greet the sheriff. “How is he?”

Graham signed heavily and shook his head. “He’ll be okay, but it’s going to be a long road to recovery.”

Belle sniffed and willed herself to be strong for Nick’s sake. She picked up his hand and stroked the only spot that wasn’t covered in medical tape. There was almost no place left uncovered for her to look at her friend. “Why didn’t anyone tell me? He’s been here for days, I should have been here for him.” She wasn’t whining, she told herself, she was lodging a complaint. She put his hand back down, gently.

“We didn’t have instructions to call you, Belle, I’m sorry. I figured someone would have let you know by now, but officially we can only notify the person listed as next of kin and that wasn’t you.”

She stared at him in confusion. Nick didn’t have anyone he’d consider next of kin unless… She clutched at Graham’s arm, making him look her in the face. “You didn’t call Malcolm did you? Please say no.”

“That’s who was listed.”

Belle felt her innards squeeze. Nick hated his father. Hated him with a passion so fierce that he’d run away at sixteen to escape the man’s manic possessiveness, sick of being used a pawn in the older man’s grasp for fame and wealth then being unfairly punished when the schemes invariably failed. Malcolm Gold was a certified sociopath, but had just enough charm and brains to keep himself out of jail. He always had a con going and resented being saddled with a son to raise. Now, when Nick was at his weakest, Malcolm was the one who would be making the decisions that determined his future.

It wasn’t fair.

“He hasn’t ask for me?” she hiccuped, holding a hand over her mouth to keep the scream inside.

“To be honest, he hasn’t fully regained consciousness since he was brought in. He hasn’t said anything as far as I’m aware and he’s been kept in a medical coma since the surgery.”

“What—”

Graham leaned back against the wall, and crossed his arms in front of him, clearly upset. “They had to take his leg, Belle.”

She fell onto the chair with a thud. “Oh, Graham, no,” she cried. “What happened?”

“The doctors called Malcolm and asked if they should try to save the leg. Said it was a fifty-fifty chance he’d be able to use it again. Well—” Graham looked at her, disgusted. “He said not to bother.”

“And now this man is going to be making life and death decisions for my best friend and you’re okay with this?”

“Of course not! But legally I can’t do anything.”

Belle put a hand to her mouth to keep the scream inside. She took deep breaths, counting backwards from ten before she felt like she was able to speak again. “I can’t—” she cleared her throat. “I can’t believe this is happening.” She blinked, realizing what was missing, or, rather, who. “Who has Zoso? I should take him home with me. He likes me best after Nick.” She looked up at Graham who would not meet her eyes. “Graham?” she said, slowly. “Where’s Zoso?”

“He was hurt, too, Belle.”

She burst into fresh tears. “How did it happen?”

“Best we can make out from the dashboard cam is after the car went over, Nick crawled out of the window, retrieved Zoso from the back, but getting him out was tricky. It dislodged the car in the stream, dragging Nick underneath. Then Zoso pulled Nick out of the stream, but in doing so dislodged the car some more and then he got crushed. I think they’d both be in better shape if they didn’t keep trying to save each other to tell you the truth. He has broken ribs, he suffered from hypothermia, one hell of a concussion, but he has a damn stubborn streak a mile wide.”

“And Zoso?” she asked.

“He was taken to the vet college up in Orono.”

“He’s fine though?” she asked, needing this reassurance. “Zoso’s going to be okay, right?”

“Well… he’s alive. Malcolm is on his way up from… where ever and he’ll make the final decision.”

“Wait, how does _Malcolm_ get that power?” she asked, angrily. “Zoso belongs to _Nick_. _He_ bought him. _Nick_ set up the K-9 program _and_ got the funding. I helped him with the grants. He—”

“He can’t make that decision now,” he said, pointing to the unconscious man.

“You don’t understand,” she said, lowering her voice when she felt herself become aggitated. “Malcolm will have Zoso put to sleep just to spite Nick. He’ll think it’s funny.”

“It’s out of my hands, Belle. I’m sorry. I don’t like it either.”

“No.” She stood up and brushed by the sheriff, shaking off his restraining hand with impatience.

“No? No, what?”

“Malcolm took Nick’s leg, but he’s not taking Zoso. I refuse to let him.”

“How do you propose to do that?”

“I’m buying Zoso,” she said, thickly, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

“Do you think Malcolm will let you?”

“Malcolm can go fuck himself!” she nearly shouted, stopping herself with a glance to her friend’s sleeping form. She sniffed again, feeling a bubble of hysteria well up in her chest making it almost impossible to speak. “You… you… y-you found the d-dog without his owner and took him in as a-as a  stray. He’s the city’s now.” She took her purse and dumped it onto the bed where Nick’s leg should be. She choked back a sob as she spread the contents around until she found her checkbook.

“That’s not how it works, Belle.”

She whirled on him, knowing that Graham was within minutes of calling in a nurse to have her sedated “I don’t care how it works! I. Am. Buying. Zoso. Do you understand?”

Graham stared at her, undecided. Belle knew he’d had a soft spot for Zoso and didn’t want the dog to be destroyed, but she also knew that he had an over-developed sense of the law and now she was asking him to steal private property. Even though she was in the right, it was still, technically, wrong.

“Please, Graham,” she begged. “They took his _leg_. Don’t let Nick wake up and Zoso isn’t here. He needs him, now more than ever. Don’t dogs help people in recovery? Won’t he be useful for-for mobility? He’s a smart dog, I can retrain him to be a service animal. Please, do this for them.”

Graham sighed. “How much?”

Belle looked at her bank balance, wincing at how little she’d saved. She didn’t think that her love for shoes would be so detrimental to her future happiness, but she would rather walk barefoot over broken glass than watch Zoso be destroyed. “I have eight hundred.” She looked him in the eyes and dared him to refuse.

“Police dogs cost thousands of dollars. No one’s going to believe you bought him for eight hundred.”

Belle gave a hysterical laugh. “Yes, well, he’s been damaged. A healthy police dog would cost that much, but the asking price for one who’s uncertain to live is now eight hundred.” She wrote out a check, pressing the pen down hard to keep her handwriting legible. She ripped it out and handed it to him with a shaking hand. “Now write out a bill of sale.”

He reluctantly took it from her, glancing at the amount. “Fine.” He took her pen and used the back of a dry cleaning receipt to write it out. “You still have his vet bills to pay,” he said before handing it to her.

Belle shrugged. “I’ll start a fund at the library. The kids love him.” She snatched the receipt from him and read it before folding it up carefully and putting it in her wallet. She stuffed everything back into her purse. “If Nick wakes up I want you to call me. I’ll figure something out about Malcolm during my drive.”

“Where are you going?” he asked, confused.

She stopped in the doorway and turned to him. “I’m going to get my dog.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few people asked: What happened next??

By the time she made the two hour drive up to Orono the veterinary school was closed for the day. Belle found a cheap motel nearby and settled in for the night, wishing she’d stopped at her apartment long enough to pack a change of clothes or, at least, her phone charger. She turned it off to preserve the battery after calling Graham to let her know how to reach her just in case Nick woke up or Malcolm appeared. After that, there was nothing left to do but curl up under a blanket and cry herself to sleep.

The vet was kind, but not very forthcoming until Belle produced her receipt proving ownership and, even then, it took several phone calls to the sheriff station until they were able to release information. Zoso was doing well all things considered, recovering after his surgery to repair the damage done to his hips and legs and was ready to come home. Belle wasn’t allowed to go back to visit him, but she did have one of Nick’s shirts she’d found stuffed in the back of her car thinking it might be comforting for the dog to have a familiar scent nearby. The real shock came when they gave her the estimated cost of his hospital stay.

Belle stared at it, wide-eyed and took it from her with shaking fingers. “This is just the estimate?” she clarified swallowing hard.

The office manager looked at her with sympathy. “Veterinary care isn’t cheap, Ms. French. The attending vet already waived her fees, but we still have to pay the techs and for his care. Do you have any questions?”

Only about a thousand, but they mostly centered around where she was going to come up with that much money. Belle set the paper down and looked the other woman in the eyes, pleading with her. “Can I make payments?”

“Normally, no.”

“Normally?” she asked, perking up slightly. “Is there any way you can make an exception for Zoso? He’s a hero. He-he saved a life in the line of duty, surely that means something.”

“Ms. French, we can only make exceptions for service animals.”

“Well, he _will_ be one,” Belle argued, eagerly. “Nick’s going to use him when he gets out of the hospital. We’re going to retrain him.”

“And Nick is?”

“Zoso’s partner. He’s the one—”

The office manager stopped her mid-sentence. “I’m sorry, but we’ve already established that you’re the owner. He may be retrained as a service dog, but right now he’s not.” She sighed. “But, I think we can let him go home if you pay half now.”

“When will you need the rest?” Belle asked with relief.

“I think we can do a month from now.”

Belle looked down at her feet and nodded, biting down on the curse that wanted to burst forth from her lips. “Okay.”

The next half hour was spent meticulously going over Zoso’s wound care and medication and exercise requirements and when to call the vet in case of an emergency and what to do if she suspected an infection set in and when the stitches needed to come out and when his next appointment would be before they brought him out, limping and wearing a cone around his neck large enough to get satellite TV. He wagged his tail furiously when he saw her, nearly knocking himself off his feet in his excitement. Belle cried when the attendants carefully lifted him into her car and then cried some more along the highway when he started whimpering as his meds wore off, but she made it through, pulling into her parking spot just before lunch and feeling emotionally shattered.

When he was in full health, Zoso weighed about a hundred pounds and, even though he’d lost some weight from the trauma of the accident and his operations, he was still a very large dog. Belle hadn’t thought of how she was going to get him up to her place until she was standing at the bottom of the stairwell looking up at the nearly insurmountable flight of stairs Zoso needed to climb. She supposed she might be able to carry him up, but she worried about tearing his stitches. And then, he would still have to back down and then up again when he needed to go outside. The vet said he would need exercise, but this was beyond Zoso’s abilities at the moment.

Belle’s shoulders slumped wishing she was any place but here and now. She was in way over her head and didn’t know how to move forward; it wasn’t fair. She just wanted one thing to go right. Just one, stupid thing. That’s all.

One thing at a time, then. Belle looked down at Zoso then back up at the stairs mulling her situation over. Zoso woofed at her and shook his head lightly, causing the cone to wobble.

“I know you feel silly, but the vet said you have to wear it until the stitches come out,” she told him, crouching down until she had her arm gently wrapped around his back, scratching the fur under his cone. “This isn’t going to work out. I have to think of something else.”

Zoso whined at her, clearly becoming more uncomfortable the longer they stayed in the cold stairwell. His legs were beginning to shake with the strain of standing and Belle’s heart broke all over again. He shook his head again, this time shaking so much the tags on his collar jingled loudly.

Belle lifted her eyebrows at him. “You’re right! I didn’t even think of that.” She looped his leash around the handrail, giving him enough slack to lay down. “Stay here. I’m going to pack a few things and then we’ll be off.”

Fifteen minutes later, with a spare key firmly in hand and a small overnight bag packed, they let themselves into Nick’s apartment. They would stay here while Zoso recovered.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous asked: Partner verse... How's Gold doing? And Zoso?

The atmosphere in the hospital room was tense as Malcolm and Belle stared at each other over Nick’s bed. The patient, himself, was still unconscious though it was a more natural sleep than before. He’d been brought out of his medically induced coma earlier in the day just in time to be greeted by Belle bravely smiling at him before his dad loudly barged in, dropping the bomb of his leg’s removal before anyone else can get a word in edgewise. Nick hadn’t known until then and the doctors were planning on telling him gently with Belle on hand to help ease the pain. Too late, his father treated it as a big joke: “Look at you now, Gimpy! We’re gonna have to change your name to Eileen, now. Get it?” Nick needed to be sedated after that, his thrashing out at his father loosened his stitches while Belle and a nurse tried to restrain him as much as possible.

Now, hours later Belle and Malcolm were at a standoff.  She refused to back down, to leave Nick alone with the man who could so callously treat him like dirt and Malcolm’s smirking calm did nothing but irritate her. What’s worse, the man knew it and it pleased him.

“So. Belle. I hear you are in charge of the library now,” he said.

She just nodded not wanting to waste her breath on him.

“Never could find a man to take care of you then?”

She narrowed her eyes then looked at Nick, counting backwards from one hundred.

“Nah, don’t count on him. He’s useless now without that leg.” Malcolm chuckled. “What’s a one-legged cop gonna do, eh? _Hop_ at someone?”

Belle bit her tongue until she tasted blood. She wished it was Malcolm’s.

“So I checked up at that vet up in Orono.”

Belle looked at him, warily.

“Seems the dog has a new owner.”

She just stared. The dog. As if Zoso didn’t have a name. Figures, he treated his own son like a stray animal, it seemed fitting the man would have even less regard for his partner.

“And that the new owner owes a great deal of money now. You wouldn’t know anything about that would you?”

She imagined a black hole. A great big, black hole in deep space, far away. Then she pushed Malcolm through.

“Not gonna talk?” He shrugged as if  it didn’t matter, and it didn’t. Not to Malcolm. “By the way, I’ll be staying at Nick’s. You’ll have to vacate immediately or I’ll have the sheriff confiscate your belongings. Including that dog.”

Belle gasped, about to protest before she shut her mouth with a clack.

He leered at her, knowing he’d gotten to her. “Problem, Dearie?”

She could feel her blood pressure rising, actually feel it. She’d read about it in books, but she’d chalked it up to hyperbole. Turned out, it was actually a thing you could experience and she hated it. She hated Malcolm. She hated _everything_ right now. She snatched her purse off the floor and stood up, glancing at Nick with trepidation. She really didn’t want to leave him to the mercy of this man, but he was out and Zoso was, once again, homeless. She would be back before visiting hours were up, she vowed, sweeping out of the room with Malcolm’s creepy laugh following her.

She walked to the elevator with all the dignity she had, knowing she was within his sight, but once she was in the lobby she ran as fast as she could, cell phone in hand. There was only one person who could help her now.

“Mr. Gepetto?” she asked, breathlessly, when the man picked up. “I need your help!”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous asked: Partners!verse, how was Nick when he finally woke up?

He hurt. All over. The pain was everywhere and there was someone talking at him over to his left. He concentrated on opening an eye, willing it to work properly, but it seemed that his eyelids decided to go on strike. Maybe if he used his fingers to pry his eyelids open?

He tried to lift his arms, but they were too heavy and didn’t budge an inch.

The voice kept saying something. Calling his name, he thought, asking if he was awake. Well, of course he was awake, couldn’t they see for themselves? He got his eye open, wincing and turning his head at the glaring light.

“He’s awake.”

That was a strange voice, not one hem could remember hearing before, and Nick began to worry. He was in pain, he couldn’t move, and there was a stranger. Had to be one thing: the hospital. Something happened, something real bad. But, if he was here then where was—

He jerked awake, feeling pain shoot up from his right leg all the way up his spine and through his skull like rusty nails shot from a cannon. His entire right side felt like it had turned to jelly and then hardened. “Zoosssszzz…?”

“ _Nicky_! Welcome back to the living, boy!”

Aw, fuck. _That_ voice he knew. Hadn’t heard it in years, but it was one he wouldn’t forget any time soon. His father was in town. Perfect.

“Th fucgh you doon ghere?” he slurred at that hated voice.

“You are out of it, son. I came as soon as I got the call.”

“Call?” He tried to lift his head, but it, too, wasn’t listening to him. Where was his dog?

The new voice spoke up, clearly irritated with Malcolm’s interference. “Mr. Gold, you'll have to leave the room now, while we attend to your son. If we need anything from you, we’ll get you from the waiting room.”

“Don’t you think I should stay in case you need some… direction?”

“Mr. Gold, do you have a medical degree?” The voice spoke sharply.

“No.”

“Are you a nurse?”

“…No.”

“Can you do _anything_ useful?”

“I’ll just go grab a smoke then. Catch ya later, Gimp.”

The voice waited until the door shut then muttered, “I hope he gets cancer.”

“Dog?” he asked, searching for a face in the room. All he could see was the ceiling and tubes and the monitors. Nick’s breathing started hitching.

A face popped over his head, smiling kindly. “Belle has Zoso, Nick. I’m Dr. Whale. Do you know where you are?”

“Hosi’tal?”

Whale nodded. “Right. You had an accident on Saturday, do you remember what happened?”

Nick blinked and tried to swallow but his throat was too dry. Saturday… that was… that was Valentine’s Day and Belle— Belle had a date so he… took the shift… something ran into the road… “I… Yea, drove to…  deer.”

“There was a deer in the road? Is that what you’re saying?”

Nick nodded his head then threw up.

Whale held a bin up as he retched, reassuring him that it was fine, just the result from the drugs he’d been on and that it would pass soon.

“Nick, this is really important,” he told him once he was settled and cleaned up. “We had no choice in the matter. Your father is here and while you were unconscious made some decisions on your behalf. Do you understand?”

Shit. Shit! Fuck! Shit! “Yea, I ge’ it.”

“When someone comes in who is unconscious we have to call their next of kin. That’s either a parent or a sibling or a spouse. We had to call your… your father. He made some directives that—” he broke off. “I’m sorry, Nick, but we gave him a choice.”

“Wha’d th’ bastrd do?”

Whale sighed, pressing his lips together as he thought about what he was going to say next. “Your leg was crushed, Nick. There was a fifty-fifty chance we could save it…”

Nick squeezed his eyes shut, realizing what the pain in his foot meant now. There was no foot. It was a phantom, a figment of his imagination. “He took m’leg?” He knew, he just needed to hear it.

“I’m sorry. And, given the nature of the damage, we may have had to amputate it anyway, but… well, he didn’t give us any choice. I’m sorry.”

Nick started to shake his head again but remembered what happened the last time and so stopped himself.

Whale wheeled over a stool and sat down on it. “I don’t trust your father, Nick. I will do everything in my power to keep him from making any medical decisions, but if you’re incapable of doing it yourself, if you go back into operation or if you become incapacitated, your father is going to be the one, do you understand? Right now you’re lucid and capable, but I don’t even trust him in the room with you alone.”

“Yea.” He understood just fine. His father sucked.

The door swung open, Belle rushing in under a cloud of worry. “Dr. Whale—” she began before her eyes fell on Nick. She burst into tears.

“S’not that bad,” he told her, but his voice barely carried past the bed he was lying on.  
“So worried, Nick. You don’t know,” she hiccuped, rushing over to him and throwing herself over his chest. “So scared for you.”

That got his arms working, even if ineffectively, he flopped a hand over and rubbed at her back. “Hey,” he said. “S’kay.”

“It’s not,” she said into his hospital gown. “Nick, it’s not! Malcolm—”

“Yea.”

She looked up at him, her blue eyes swimming in tears. “You know?”

“He waz here.”

Belle sniffled. “He is the _worst_ , Nick. There is no reasoning with him.”

That earned a faint smile. “Know tha-.”

Whale spoke up, interrupting them. “We were just discussing next of kin when you walked in. Mr. Gold is… out back smoking, but he may come in soon. I would feel better about Nick’s stay here if we can come up with a better solution than relying on Mr. Gold good conscious. Do you have any ideas?”

“Can I do it?” Belle asked, sitting up and wiping her eyes with her sleeve. “Nick trusts me.”

“Are you of any relation to him?”

“No, but we’ve known each other forever.”

Whale shook his head. “No, it’s only parents, spouses, or siblings. Relatives. Do you have any siblings, Nick? Someone who can take over?”

“No. Jus’ Belle.”

She squeezed his hand.

Whale sighed. “Well, we can talk more about it later.”

Belle nodded her head, absently staring at their entwined fingers. Nick wanted to hold her, but he was barely capable of holding her hand.

“Now I’m going to ask you a bunch of questions to make sure you haven’t suffered any brain damage,” Whale continued. “And then, I’ll take a look at the rest of you.”

“Whazz left of it,” he tried to joke. His leg ached. It was missing and it ached and he missed his dog. “Hey, where’s Zoso?” he asked.

Belle smiled. “He’s at my place, Nick. He’ll be okay.”

He nodded and stared at her hand, still in his. She must have been really scared if she won’t let go.

Whale spoke up, “So I want you to answer as best you can, Nick. What’s your full name?”

“Nicolas Alexander Gold,” Belle instantly replied.

Whale rolled his eyes. “ _Nick_ has to answer.”

“Sorry. Sorry. I just…” She glanced at him before turning back to Whale. “I know how to solve our problem with Malcolm.”

“S’tha?” Nick asked, smiling. Belle was always brilliant. He should have known she’d think of something.

She took a deep breath and looked at him. “I will marry you.”

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> misspuppet asked: Parters!verse Nick: What's it gonna be boy, yes or no? WHAT'S IT GONNA BE BOY? YES... OR... NO?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter catches you up with Tumblr. The Partner seems to update about once a week - usually Tuesdays so expect a new chapter wither tomorrow or Wednesday. Thank you so much for reading!

Nick felt his gut twist and his heart leap at the same time. “Wha? No!” The gut-wrenching pain turned out to be real as he struggled to sit up, pushing at Belle to move away from him. He ignored it, then flopped back down in defeat, sweating and panting, feeling like a failure. The last thing he needed was the guilt of trapping his best friend and the love of his life into a one-sided marriage of convenience.

Belle held up her hands, pleading. “Listen, Nick, you… you’re in a really bad spot now and until you’re up and about, your father… that man… that-that beast will make every moment a living hell for you. He’d probably put air bubbles in your IV or something just to see the nurses freak out.”

Whale held up a finger, “Actually that’s not really—”

Belle stopped him with withering look then turned her full attention back to him. “This makes sense, Nick. As your wife I’d be your immediate next of kin and you wouldn’t have to worry about Malcolm ruining your life anymore.”

He shook his head, feeling the pain burst like fireworks behind his eyes. “Y’don wan to be stu- with a crippl’.”

“That is your father speaking right there. He hasn’t even been here a day and you’re giving up on yourself.” She shook her head at him, sadly. “That isn’t you, Nick. You’re the strongest, most stubborn person I know. We can get through this together, we just need to-to protect you while you’re recovering from anyone that might… well, I think it’s the best solution.,” she said, looking down as she bit her lip. “Just consider it.”

Consider it? He’d wanted her for years, he just didn’t think he’d ever have a chance. Marrying Belle would be the one thing he’d desired more than anything else — even becoming a cop, then advancing into the K9 corps — but, not like this. Not as some useless obligation who couldn’t even function properly any more. What would happen when he recovered? Would they divorce? Would she stick by him out of a sense of duty? Would he feel like an anchor, trapping her in place?

“Nick?” she said, softly. “Let me take care of you.”

Well, fuck. How could he say no when she was looking at him as if he was everything to her. Like he meant something. It was a low blow stunt to pull when his brain felt fuzzy from a combination of the pain and the drugs, but Belle needed an answer. “’ll thinkg,” he said.

She nodded, sniffling. “Good. I know it seems bad right now, but we can get through this together. You, me, and Zoso. I have plans for him.”

“S’tha?” More ideas. More foolery.

“He’s going to be your helper,” she said with a watery smile then leaned over to look him in the eyes. “Nick, please just think about it. I just don’t see any other way. Dr. Whale,” she said, turning to the man beside them. “You agree with me, right? This is the best way to make sure Nick is safe until he’s out of the hospital?”

Dr. Whale considered it for a moment. “I would feel better treating Nick as a patient knowing that, should something happen, his father was no longer in the picture,” he said, carefully weighing his words. “I can’t officially say that it would be for the best, that would be up to Nick and yourself, of course, but, even if it’s temporary, it’s my professional opinion that your father,” he said, looking at Nick, seriously. “Should be kept as far from you as possible. I’ve never met anyone as deliberately malicious as he is. Sorry,” he said, looking at Nick apologetically. “Right now, you’re capable of making your own decisions, your father can pretty much go home. When you were brought in, you were unconscious and required immediate surgery, and those are the circumstances in which we contact next of kin. If you’re concerned about what may happen in the future — and you have a very lengthy hospital stay ahead of you — then…” He spread his hands out in a helpless manner. “You want someone you can trust.”

Nick watched Belle while Whale spoke. She looked stressed, which he supposed was natural considering how worried she’d been. Her thumb was lightly stroking his hand over and over, and, even though it had long past the point of irritation against his prickly skin, he wouldn’t have her stop for anything. He’d always prevented himself from touching her more than he needed to and right now, he couldn’t think why. Why did he hold himself back? Belle was a warm and caring person, it was possible that she would be open to something more, years ago when they were new to each other. He never got up the courage to try.

He didn’t want to jump into this, he wanted to think, but he could feel himself slipping back down into sleep. He didn’t want to sleep, he wanted to talk to Belle about what, exactly she meant by marriage. He wanted his dog and he wanted his leg and he wanted his father out of his life once and for all. He closed his eyes, intending to rest a moment, but when he opened them again it was dark with only a soft emergency light glowing in the corner. They must have lowered the pain medication because now he could feel exactly where he was banged up and he bit his lip to keep from crying out. There were stabbing pains shooting up from his leg. The one he didn’t have any more. The one his father stole. He could feel it hurting him — he’d heard of the phenomenon before but experiencing it was something else altogether. He hated it.

He looked around, wondering if he should call someone, and saw Belle curled up in the chair next to the bed. She was wearing her pajamas, the blue ones with the duckies on them that she ordered as a present for herself for Christmas, and was wrapped up in a blanket she brought from her apartment.

She’d stayed with him.

His shifted irritably in the bed, sending jabbing pains from all directions, but centering on the one thing that wasn’t there anymore.

Fuck.

“Belle,” he whispered, hoarsely. He wanted a drink, desperately, but first he needed to see her blue eyes. “Belle,” he said a bit louder and watched, fascinated as, first, she blinked awake then slowly come to focus on him, a slow smile spreading across her face. She was beautiful when she woke up. He wanted to see it forever, he decided.

“Hey,” she said, softly. “Are you in pain? Do you need me to get the nurse?” She sat up, reaching for the call button.

Well, he was, and he did, but that wasn’t why he woke her up.

“D’jou mean it?” he rasped out.

She frowned, tilting her ear at him. “Mean what?”

“Mare- me?” he slurred.

“Of course,” she said, getting up to sit next to him. The mattress dipped under her comfortable weight. “I meant everything, Nick. I want to help you.”

He winced but not because of his damn leg for once.

Her hands hovered over him, uselessly. “Do you hurt?” she asked, worry etched over her face.

He nodded his head, unable to speak. Of course he hurt, his fucking leg was cut off, he was banged up from driving off a fucking bridge, and now his heart was shredded. He was such a fucking glutton for punishment.

He licked his dry lips and tried again. “Marry me?”

“Yes, that’s what I said.”

He shook his head, slightly. “No,” he insisted. “Marry. Me.”

She blinked, then her lips lilted in a fleeting smile and he wondered if there were enough drugs in his system to get away with kissing her and passing it off as being high out of his mind. But then, if he was high, she wouldn’t take him seriously.

“Are you asking me?” she said, breathlessly.

“-es.”

Belle leaned forward until their foreheads touched. “Yes, Nick. I will marry you.”

He closed his eyes, smiling happily. “Good,” he said before he faded back into the darkness.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? DOES MALCOLM GO AWAY? CAN I PUSH HIM OFF A CLIFF? Where’s ZOSO? ARE THEY MARRIED YET? I regret to inform you it's just boring talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I once had the best German Shepherd Dog ever. Her name was Sandy (Did I mention I’m an Annie fan?) and she was 100% crazy - she ate my house - but she was also the best dog we’ve ever owned. She also refused to eat if I wasn’t there. GSDs bond to their people.

The hospital after hours was dark and Belle quietly led Zoso down the empty corridor. There were the sounds of beeping and pinging from various machines as she passed each room and in 352 there was a faint groaning, but Belle hurried past before a nurse could appear and slipped into Nick’s room with her contraband dog.

Zoso had been healing just fine, but he missed Nick to the point where he wasn’t eating any more. Belle, already worried for his health, decided to sneak him in at night when he wouldn’t disturb anyone. She knew that Malcolm wouldn’t stay overnight with his son — the man would never do anything so altruistic — so they would have the place to themselves until the next nurse’s rotation and then… well, she’d think of something. Probably hide in the bathroom.

Nick was asleep with his head turned away when she looked in. He looked worn out, the worry lines ever present on his forehead now and his face pinched in discomfort. She supposed that the pain, kept at bay with the medication, was still bad enough to follow him in his slumber and she felt her heart crack a little more thinking of him suffering like that.

She dragged the big chair over as close to the bed as it would safely go and let Zoso hop up on it. She wasn’t very tired — sleeping in the smaller, harder chair would have been difficult anyway and she would need to stay alert for any nurse that came by.

She'd brought a book with her, but she couldn't concentrate on the plot with her mind so full of Nick and Zoso and what would happen in the future so she watched both patients as they slept.

She looked at the empty space on the bed where Nick’s leg should be and wished she’d insisted on cancelling her date on Valentine’s Day. If she’d done that, or not agreed to go out at all, then none of this would have happened. They would have stayed in — probably at his place — ordered a pizza and watched cheesy movies until it was time for her to leave. She put her feet onto the chair and laid her head on her knees, sniffling. Neither Nick or Zoso would have been hurt and Malcolm would still be out of their lives if she'd just stayed home. They both would have been fine. Maybe they’d have come to a better understanding between them — a lot could have happened on Valentine’s Day. Now, because of her, they were stuck in an awful situation.

Nick stirred in his sleep and Belle was instantly on the alert, poised at the edge of her seat to help him somehow or call a nurse if he was in pain, but he soon settled back into an uneasy sleep. He looked haggard, she thought. Of course losing a leg and probably pounds of weight from his operation and hospital stay would do that, but he was unshaven and probably hadn’t had a shower in nearly a week. She thought the nurses would have bathed him, but that was unsatisfying on a comfort level and Belle felt oddly discomfitted at the idea of someone sponging him off. Stupid of her. It was their job to do so and there was nothing sexual about giving a patient a bath. Not like this at any rate. She just didn't want anyone to touch him. He was hers.

She shook her head, mentally berating herself for thinking of things like that instead of turning her mind towards something useful such as where they would live when he was released.

Storybrooke was small and there were very few wheelchair accessible apartments. Actually, she didn’t know of any at all. She frowned at the monitor, watching Nick’s steady heartbeat go by. That was a comfort at least. It blipped steadily for a few minutes before it picked up speed with a sudden spike.

“You look like you’re ready to strangle that machine,” a groggy voice said from her elbow.

Startled, Belle looked down to see Nick looking at her with sleepy eyes.

“Hey!" she said, doing her best to keep an upbeat appearance. "Are you in pain? Do you need me to call the nurse?” she asked, reaching over to smooth back his hair. He kept it pretty short for his job, but she still liked to touch it, missing the way it fell over his collar when they were kids.

He sputtered a laugh that turned into a painful sounding cough and she was just about to get someone to help him when he held up a hand waving her away. “Sorry. That was just… I’m always in pain, Belle,'" he told her with a crooked smile.

At least she got him to smile. She'd missed it so.

“I’m so sorry, Nick. About everything. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have—” She hiccuped to a stop, not knowing how to go on.

“What are you talking about?” he asked. “How is this your fault? I swerved to miss hitting a deer. Happens all the time. You didn’t cause this. Nothing is your fault.”

“Yeah, but…”

“But, what?”

She didn’t know how to bring up the overwhelming guilt she was suffering under. It seemed so trivial in comparison to his injuries that even mentioning it seemed selfish. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“You look terrible,” he said, tugging on her sleeve. “What have you been doing?”

She gave him a half-hearted smile. “I’ve been taking care of Zoso. Who, by the way, I’ve snuck in,” she said, pointing to the sleeping dog on the other side of the bed. “I don’t know how I’m going to get him back out again, but what are they going to do really? I can say he’s on official police business,” she said with a sly smile.

Nick’s attention was all on his dog and he reached out to him with a shaking hand.

“Look at you. Oh fuck, Zoso, I am so sorry, boy.” He said, reaching to touch him on his velvety nose. but the dog, on a dose of pain medication himself, was fast asleep.

“Jesus, he’s in bad shape.”

“Yeah, Zoso’s been very brave. He doesn’t like being without you though so I thought it would do him some good to see you.”

“You said he’s staying with you?” he asked, his face scrunched up in confusion.

“Mmhmm. We did move into your apartment for about an hour, but your dad kicked us out.”

“Fuck,” he said, sinking his head down into his pillow, closing his eyes in recrimination.

“So, I took Zoso to my place and… I hope you don’t mind, but I took some of your things with us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Zoso’s kennel and food dishes,” she explained. “I grabbed your laptop, that picture of your aunts. Your, um... immigration records, citizenship and tax stuff. I also found your rifle, but I left that with Mr. Gepetto. I just didn’t trust your dad with any of that stuff. He’d probably sell your social security number.”

“He’s probably tried,” he groaned.

“I’m afraid I couldn’t carry your TV," she told him, ruefully.

He snorted, shaking his head. “It’s just a TV. I can buy another one,” he said closing his eyes for a brief moment before they flew open and stared at her with worry and the heart machine next to the bed spiked alarmingly. “Wait, you said you got my rifle? So that means…”

She smirked at him. “Yeah, I saw your porn stash.” And it showed that he had a marked preference for brunettes. A fact she tucked into her jealous heart and only thought about once or twice when she had the time, which she had very little of the past few days.

“I—”

“It’s no big deal, Nick. I’d have been shocked if I hadn’t found one,” she said with a teasing smirk. “Just reminded me to hide my toys better,” she said, looking away.

He choked. “What?”

Belle could have sworn the heart monitor stopped for a moment, but that couldn’t have been right when it obviously showed that his heart rate sped up.

“Oh, come on, Nick. A girl has needs.” And they haven’t been met by anything not operated on a battery for longer than she’d like to think of.

“Yeah, but…”

She raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to say something. “But what?”

“I… Nothing. Nevermind. I’m going to pretend this conversation never happened.” He turned his head towards his dog and eventually the monitor showed that his heart rate went back to normal.

“Good idea,” Belle said, grateful he wasn’t looking at her any more because she felt like her heart was tearing in two. She sat there, silent for a moment, then, “I thought… I thought Zoso would like to be here when we got married. I have the forms filled out and awaiting your signature. Having your records helped,” she told him with a trembling voice. “And Sheriff Graham said he’d be here, too, just in case anyone had any… objections. I, um, scheduled it for eight this morning if that's okay with you.”

He balled up his hands and pressed them to his eyes. Belle winced, thinking he might hurt himself, but he just shook his head. “Ah, Belle. You’ve been so busy.” He lowered his hands and looked at her with regret. “I can’t… I can’t ever repay you.”

“I don’t want you to repay me, Nick,” she said. “I just want you to get better.”

“I’m off the Force,” he told her, quietly.

“I know, Nick. I’m so sorry. I know how much it meant to you.”

He shook his head, not wanting to talk about it so Belle left it alone. She reached for his hand, squeezing it tight. “I’m here, Nick. You’re not going to go through this alone. You’re my best friend and I love you.”

He looked back at her, eyes swimming. “I love you too, Belle.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Very nearly all my prompts: does he work up the nerve? 
> 
> Anonymous: Belle, did you ever hear from Gavin again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys, I had pages and pages of horrible, gut-wrenching angst planned for you, but the consensus was an overwhelming “No!!!!!!” Since this is a prompt based story, I’m rolling with it. :)

Belle came out of the bathroom with a shy smile and smoothing down her creamy white skirt. She looked radiant and Nick felt his insides seize up in a manner that he suspected had little to do with his injuries.  
“You look nice,” he said from his bed. He was getting heartily sick of it and he’d only been conscious for three days. “What’s the occasion?”  
She tsked at him, “Nothing much. Just getting a little bit married is all,” she teased, her smile widening considerably, sending a flock of butterflies twirling through his belly.  
They were getting married. This was actually happening. He’d pinch himself, but he already ached everywhere, there was no way he was dreaming this. If he was dreaming, they wouldn’t be in a hospital and he would absolutely have two legs.  
“How about you?” she asked. “Got any big plans for the day?”  
“Really? I’m getting married, too! What a coincidence. Oh, and I get my catheter out, so you know, banner day.” He tapped his belly with his hand, lightly. and pretended that didn’t hurt.  
She shook her head, giggling helplessly as she pulled a red bowtie out of her purse.  
“What is that?” he asked, appalled. It was hideous.  
She looked down, considering it. “It’s a tie. Zoso, needs something to wear.”  
“What? The cone is bad enough, Belle.”  
“And you’re going to stop me how?”  
“That’s not fair,” he said as he watched her tie it on to Zoso’s collar.  
“Aww, now he looks stupid.”  
“No, he doesn’t, he looks handsome. Don’t you, sweet boy?” she asked the dog, scratching his ears affectionately. Zoso licked her face back, woofing lightly. “See? He likes it.”  
“You didn’t make one for me did you,” he asked suspiciously.  
“No, the only way I’d get you to wear it is if you were back in a coma,” she said, smiling at him.  
Her cell phone buzzed and he watched in amusement as she picked it up in irritation. “Yes? Oh… Hi, Gavin.” She slapped her forehead. “Oh, shoot! Right, I’m so sorry, I forgot. Just… something happened…” she paused, squeezing her eyes shuts and ducking her head. “No, I really don’t think I can make it. I’ve got,” she glanced at him again, grimacing. “Well, I’m getting married.” She winced. “It’s not an excuse. Well, it is, but it’s true. I’m sorry, Gavin…. No, coffee is out. I have to go. Bye.” She hung up the phone and shut it off, tucking it into her purse with an apologetic look.  
“Sorry,” she said, sheepishly.  
“Don’t be,” he said, licking his lips, determined on not mentioning it ever again. “Gavin?” he asked, casually, looking out the window then winced at his gaff. Fuck.  
“Uh, my date last Saturday. We were going to meet for coffee.” She looked down at her hands  
“You don’t have to blow him off on my account.”  
“We’re getting married,” she reminded him.  
“Yeah, but… it’s not like… It’s not like we’re getting _married_ married,” he said, his voice cracking. Fuck, why was this so difficult? “I mean, I don’t expect you to-to be a wife to me. It’s not like this is forever—.”  
“Nick,” she began softly.  
He spoke over her, quickly, not wanting to hear her say things she didn’t really mean just to make him feel better. Having her pity was worse than the ever-present pain in his leg. “I know this is an emergency situation. I mean, we both know this is just a temporary thing. I’m not gonna demand your faithfulness or anything. So you go out on your coffee date.”  
"It’s not a date. It was just coffee,” she mumbled.  
“Is he nice to you?” Because if he was good to her then it would be okay for him to let her go, right?  
She sniffled, looking up at the fluorescents. “Yeah, he’s nice.”  
"Your life doesn’t have to stop for me, Belle. When I’m out of here and back on my f— When I’m out I expect we’ll have this annulled.”  
She sat down on his bed, the mattress barely even dipping down under her weight.  
“So you don’t even want to try?” she asked in a small voice, staring at her hands  
“Try?” What did she mean, try?  
She looked at him, her beautiful blue eyes piercing him. Even if he could move out of this damn bed he wouldn’t have been able to escape.  
"Do you ever think about us?" she asked. "As a couple?"  
His mouth was suddenly dry and his heart thumping in his throat. “You mean the two of us? Like… like lovers?”  
"Yes," she said. "As lovers."  
He opened his mouth to answer her, but he had nothing to say. He was grateful the nurse had taken off the monitor that morning because his heart was thudding in his chest painfully as his breathing became labored. She’d asked the one thing he’d hoped would never come up. What could he do? He couldn’t lie to her. That would be…  
"Yes," he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. He had to block her from his vision or he’d go crazy for the want of her.  
He felt the soft press of her lips on his and his eyes flew open to find Belle kissing him, actually _kissing_ him. He froze because this was Belle. Kissing him. With her lips on his mouth. It felt like his arms were floating, and they must have been because he had not real control over them, but somehow his hands were twisted up in her curls, pressing her to him, cradling her close. She didn’t seem to mind that his face was scratchy or that he hadn’t had a real shower in a week or that he was plain broken. She was here, in his arms, wanting him.  
This was…  
This was Belle.  
This was _heaven_.


	12. Chapter 12

Sneaking Zoso out for a bathroom break and back in proved to be impossible so she blatantly walked him down the hallway, nodding happily to the nurses on duty and acting as if Zoso had every right to be in a people hospital. Which he did, if you asked her and she’d kept his badge clipped to his collar just in case anyone tried to kick him out. Official police business would be her excuse, but, thankfully, most of the staff enjoyed his presence and smiles when they saw him.

Soon enough, it was time for the shift change and then, once the rounds were completed, they would be married.

Belle couldn’t fool herself, she was nervous and ready to bolt, which was ridiculous. She loved Nick more than anything and had dreamed of being with him for years, but she couldn’t help but feel that something would come up to prevent them from getting married. Most likely she thought it would be Malcolm, who was still in town, still squatting in Nick’s apartment — likely scamming someone out of their hard-earned money and who had a talent for being an ass at the worst possible time, but the feeling that things would go wrong would not leave her. She paced, anxiously, until it was time, wanting it to be over and done with as soon as possible just to ease the heavy knot that was twisting in her stomach. 

Nick watched her from his bed, but he didn’t say anything to keep her from worrying. He’d known her long enough to know that trying to talk her down would just make things worse. He just looked at her with a sort of dazed look on his face that he wore ever since they’d kissed. Belle wanted to keep kissing him. Kissing him, it turned out, was just as toe curling as she’d always imagined it to be, but a nurse came in to check his stitches, bruskly rushing her out of the room with Zoso saying that it wasn’t a pretty sight and she’d need to leave.

That was the worst of it, so far. Belle wasn’t afraid of Nick’s wounds nor was she disgusted by them, but the comment sent Nick spiraling back into himself and their budding understanding had been pulled to an abrupt stop. He’d been quiet ever since and Belle knew that she would have to do everything in her power to convince him that he didn’t revolt her.

The wedding was short and to the point with Zoso and Graham attending as well as Dr. Whale, and Gepetto, with a hospital registrar officiating. The tiny room was packed with people and equipment — “Standing room only,” Nick joked — with Archie having to stand in the bathroom in order to conduct the ceremony.

“This was the second wedding I’ve done.” He told them when the vows were spoken. “But don’t worry,” he said with a nervous laugh. “It’s still legal. Oh! You may kiss the bride.”

Belle smiled as she bent over to kiss Nick for the fourth time that day, soft and sweet, with the hope for more later. He’d been quiet the whole time, speaking only when prompted by Archie, but the nagging, anxious doubt that had settled in her stomach that morning had eased. They would have time to talk later on after the room was cleared of excess people.

Dr. Whale sensed their need to be alone, and ushered everyone out the door with Gepetto taking Zoso to his apartment for the afternoon, letting Nick know that they would be in to start therapy in half an hour. He nodded absently, still looking at Belle as if she was going to pop out of existence like a bubble.

“Are you okay,” she asked, scooting closer to him until her hip sat next to his. She didn’t like disturbing the bed unnecessarily and jostling his leg, but she needed to have a part of her touching him even if it was just in a small way.

He nodded. “I am,” he told her, a smile curling the sides of his lips. “I just can’t believe this is happening.”

She huffed a laugh at him. ‘What? That we got married? I’m a bit in shock as well. I didn’t think it would…” She looked down at her hands and sniffled, feeling tears start to well up unaccountably.

He stroked a lock of hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear and cupping her face. “Belle?”   
She shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’m just… I’ve wanted this for a long time. I’m only sorry it took an accident to make it happen. I’m so happy, Nick, but I don’t know if I should be because you’re trapped in this hospital and I know you hate it.”

“Belle, I should never have gone out that night,” he said, softly. “I should have done the brave thing and let you know how I felt about you, but I was scared you wouldn’t want me like that. I backed off and now…”

“I love you,” she told him, then touching her forehead to his. “All of you. I intend on being your wife in every way possible.”

He kissed her again, lightly. “I love you,” he murmured against her lips. “And I will be your husband in every way you need.”

“Well aren’t you two a pair,” a voice called from the open doorway. “Look at that, the picture of a happy family.”

Belle turned her head to see Malcolm leaning in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and a sly grin on his face.

“We would like some privacy, Malcolm,” she told him, curtly.

He scoffed at her and took three steps into the room with a ‘what are you gonna do about it’ look on his face. “D’you expect to mount that limp prick in his hospital bed? You think he’s going to be able to satisfy you from there? He’s a dead weight, always have been.”

“You need to leave,” Belle told him, standing up, ready to shove him out of the door if she had to. “You are not welcome here.”

“Nagging already, eh? And you’re what, married five minutes?” He shook his head, tsking at her like a father chastising a child. “And you didn’t even invite your dear, old dad, Nick,” he said, turning his attention to his son. “I’m hurt.”

“Just get out, Dad,” he said, looking as if he was ready to kick off the covers and beat him senseless.

Malcolm smirked at him and looked back at Belle. “I really don’t get your angle, girl. You’re doing it for the insurance money or what?”

Her jaw dropped and she saw red. “Is that why you came back?” she asked, incredulously. “You think you’re going to get his insurance money? He needs that for himself, you—” she looked around for the nurse’s call button. Where was it? No, it was on the other side of Nick’s bed. “Get out!” she shouted, pointing at the door. 

He stepped back, hands out in front of him to ward her off. “Good going, son,” he told him, sarcastically. “You married a harpy.”

Nick answered him by throwing his water jug at him, soaking everything from his ankles down. “She said get out,” he roared, pushing himself up with both hands, ready to fight his father.

Malcolm had ducked just in time, but got sloshed with water just the same. “You’re crazy and violent. Anyone can see that. Good thing you’re off the force now,” he said with a manic giggle as Nick began shouting incoherently at him.

“Fuck you!”

Malcolm and Nick both stopped their shouting match to stare at Belle who had her trembling hands over her mouth in shock. She took a deep, steadying breath, lowering them again, clenching her fists until her knuckles felt ready to crack. “Get out, Malcolm,” she said, her voice deadly calm. “Do not come back here. Do not contact us ever again. And you will vacate Nick’s apartment immediately or I’ll have the sheriff arrest you for trespassing.”

Malcolm backed away, opening the door to the sound of pounding footsteps.

“What’s going on?” the nurse called out, looking in dismay at the water on the floor and her distressed patient.

“What’s going on is my son attacked me,” Malcolm said, accusingly. “He’s mentally unstable obviously. And she,” he said, pointing at Belle. “Is out to bleed him dry. Their marriage should be annulled, and he should be placed under my care until he’s back to his senses. She’s out to get his insurance money, I heard her say so myself.”

“What?” Belle said, indignantly. “I never—”

“I fear for my son’s life,” he shouted over his shoulder as the nurse grabbed him by the elbow and escorted him out of the room. “Ow! Hey.”

“You are disturbing my patient and you need to leave now,” she told him between tight lips. “Security will see you out, sir.”

Belle quickly shut the door on them, slipping in the puddle a bit before she found her footing. “I hate that man, Nick. I’m sorry, I know he’s your father but I really hope someone hits him with a truck soon.” She shook her head and hurried back to her husband who was struggling in bed. “No, let me,” she said taking him, gently and holding him in her arms until he calmed down. “I’m sorry,” she said, when he relaxed enough to sit back. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper. I know he loves it.”

“He’s an ass,” he mumbled under his breath, scowling before he looked at her with a crooked grin. “You, on the other hand, are like a pocket-sized Valkyrie. I honestly thought you were going to take him down.”

“I wanted to,” she confessed with a tiny smile. “Don’t pay any attention to what he said, Nick. He doesn’t know anything.”

He just nodded his head and looked at their entwined hands. “He’s right though,” he said in a low voice.

“That man is never right.”

“I’m useless sitting in bed. I couldn’t even protect you from my own father.”

“Nick, you’re recuperating. Right now, this is your job. You’ll get better and we’ll have you out in no time. And then you can take me dancing.”

He stared at her as if she’d grown two heads. “Dancing?”

She nodded. “Yes, dancing. We’ve been married for…” she checked the clock. “Half an hour and I still haven’t had a wedding dance yet. We’ll go as soon as you’re out.”

“You really think I can,” he asked, doubtfully.

“Yes,” she said softly. “I do.”


	13. Chapter 13

“You’re sure he’s ready to go home now? It’s only been a week.” Belle stood, arms folded across her chest and shoulders hunched as she pleaded with Dr. Whale. “I mean, it seems really quick.”

The doctor nodded encouragingly. “Hospital stays for amputees typically range from five to twelve days and his recovery has been very good. I’m confident he’ll be fine in your care. And he has to start learning how to do things on his own now that he’ll be confined to a wheelchair. It takes a lot of adjustment.”

“What about prosthetics?” Nick asked from the chair he’d been placed in.

“Well, you’ll have to wait until your leg is fully healed before you can begin fittings. That can take anywhere between four to eight months. In the mean time, you’ll learn how to use a wheelchair and, then, a walker before anything else happens.”

Belle dropped her hands. “I really wish you told me yesterday, Dr. Whale. I have nothing set up.” She looked at her husband with an apologetic look. “I suppose I’ll go see what I need to to do to get your apartment ready. I’m a bit scared about what condition Malcolm left it in.”

“I'm sure it’s a disaster.”

“He probably stole your TV.”

“I don’t care about the TV.”

“You loved that thing.”

“It’s not important,” he mumbled.

Dr. Whale interrupted, clearing his throat to get their attention. “Then I will get the discharge started. When you come back I’ll go over home care and we’ll set up a schedule for rehab. You have a lot of work to do, Nick.”

Belle gave Nick a quick peck on the cheek before she left, whispering, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

* * *

 

She stormed into the room, fuming. “Malcolm stripped the place,” she said without preamble.

“What?” He had just finished going over his discharge papers and was waiting for a wheelchair to be brought up. Hospital policy even for patients with two working legs, they said.

“Everything, Nick. He stole all the appliances, he ripped out the toilet… I don’t even know why. Why would someone steal a toilet? It makes no sense. And your TV is gone” she added as an afterthought.

“We knew he was going to sell that.” Nick scrubbed his hands over his face in exasperation. “The man is unconscionable,” he said into his palms before dropping his hands into his lap and looking at her wearily. “So, now I’m homeless.”

She looked at him incredulously. “No, you’re staying with me.”

“You live on the second floor, Belle.”

“Yes, but I’ve made some improvements since Zoso came to stay with me. It’s awkward, but it will work until we figure something else out.”

He stared at her, mouth open before he closed it with a shake of his head. “I’m sorry, I just… I’m still in awe that you’re taking care of me. I’m—”

“Hey,” she said, sitting on the bed next to him. “I’m not going anywhere. I told you we were in this together, remember? I meant it. In sickness and in health, forever. We’re just doing the sickness part really early. Besides,” she said, poking him in the ribs. “My bed is bigger.”

He nodded seriously. “That’s good. Zoso likes to cuddle.”

She sputtered in exasperation. “I meant you—” she began before she saw him smirking at her. “Fine. You can sleep with Zoso instead of me,” giving a wicked smile of her own as the smirk was wiped off his face and his face flushed beautifully.

“How is Zoso?” he asked, once the blush subsided.

“He’s doing okay. I have to take him back to Orono to get his stitches out and he’s itching like crazy, but he’s good. Misses you like crazy, he doesn’t eat very well without you there, you know. I think he imprinted on you,” she teased.

“I may have imprinted on him a little, too,” he confessed with a sheepish grin. “Not as much as I have on you though.” He took her hand and pulled her down for a kiss, the first one he’d initiated, but the nurse came in with his paperwork, interrupting them.

The next hour was spent going over very many tiny, but important details full of how to care for his wounds and what to do in case of infection that Belle’s head was swimming by the time an orderly came to wheel Nick out of the room. She followed behind, carrying a large container full of medical supplies and sheets of diagrams and instructions to tide them over for the first week or so, to her car, which was waiting in the pick up lane. She had a rented wheelchair folded up and stuffed in the back and the front passenger seat extended all the way so as to give Nick as much room as possible.

“I’ll go slowly and avoid the potholes, then,” she told him nervously as she started the car.

“Sounds good,” he said, the strain of moving just from the hospital room to the car was beginning to show on his face. He’d never say anything about it, of course, and it would embarrass him if she started coddling him now.

* * *

 

“You have got to be kidding me,” he said, looking at her with wild eyes. “You’ve been bringing Zoso up in that contraption?”  
  
“Well… yeah. I didn’t really have a choice in the matter. Mr. Gepetto rigged it up for me. It’s not ideal, and it takes up a lot of time, but it works and it’ll hold. Did you expect me to carry you up those stairs?” she asked, irritated that he was being stubborn about her makeshift elevator.  
  
“No, of course not. I just didn’t think about how you were maneuvering everything is all.”  
  
“Yes, well, it’s not been all fun and games for me, either,” she said, testily. “Are you going to get in or should I get a room at Granny’s?”

“Do we have to stay here?” he asked.

“Where else can we go? Your place is uninhabitable,” she pointed out. “Look, this is just temporary anyway until we can find something suitable. The problem is, there’s nothing wheelchair accessible available right now so unless you want to sleep on the sidewalk, you’re going to have to get in the box. It’s perfectly safe, I assure you. You can pout about it all you want when I’m done. I’ll do my best not to bump you along the wall.”

“Oh shit, Belle.”

She smiled apologetically. “Zoso’s been good, he’ll show you how it’s done.”

“I really don’t like it, Belle,” he grumbled, sulking into his seat.

An idea started taking shape that hadn’t occurred to her before. “Nick, are you– are you afraid of heights?”

He looked away, mumbling something.

“What was that?”

“Yes,” he whispered.

She sat down on the edge of the box, slumping forward. “Oh, Nick. I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to do.”

He shook his head. “No, let’s just get it over with.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, uncertainly. She didn’t want to have to deal with a panic attack on top of everything else.

“Yeah. I’m doped up enough that I may not even notice anyway.”

“Okay. Come here, then,” she said, reaching out to help him out of the car.

Nick’s strength was pretty much gone after his ordeal which mean she had to help him get into and out of his wheelchair until he built it back up and got into the swing of things himself. That could take weeks and in the meantime he was dependent on Belle for nearly all of his needs. She knew he was ashamed of it, though she didn’t see why. They would adjust and, once his leg healed and he learned how to walk again, things would be better. That was all there was to it. In the meantime, she had to haul Nick up first in the box, get him inside and comfortable, then go back down for the wheelchair and haul it up and into her apartment, which, really was too small to accommodate it. She’d have to put some furniture in storage if they stayed much longer. Then she had to do all of that again with Zoso, who at least was able to attempt the stairs now. He could take them down and ride up after a short walk and even that small triumph lightened Belle’s load considerably.

She was beginning to run on fumes, but she didn’t know where to turn for help.

* * *

 

“Have you seen it?” Nick asked, looking away at the window where Gepetto’s workmanship was in plain view. Zoso’s head was in his lap, the cone taken off for an hour to give him some relief. Now that he was reunited with Nick, his attitude had perked up considerably with his tail thumping against Belle’s legs every few minutes as if he couldn’t believe  
  
Belle was quiet for a moment before she realized what he meant. “No. Visitors weren’t allowed to stay when they rewrapped your leg. Why?”

He shrugged. “No reason. It’s pretty gruesome.”

“Well… It was a gruesome thing to have happened. But it won’t scare me away. I’m not going to run.”

He chuckled darkly. “I suppose not. You’ve obviously been taking care of everything while I’ve been lounging around in bed.”

“Okay, hey!” she said, indignantly. She understood that Nick would be going through a depressive state — the doctor warned them to watch out for it and sent them home with a referral for a psychiatrist, but she had been hoping he would be an exception. “None of that. Not now and not about that. You weren’t lounging, you were in a medically induced coma. And then,” she said, taking his hand and kissing it. “You were recovering. There is a world of difference, believe me.”

“I know,” he said quietly. “I don’t know what to do now, Belle. I’m not good at sit down jobs, you know that. I like being up and doing things and I can’t do nothing.”

Belle blew a lock of hair out of her face, thinking. “Spiderman had a prosthetic leg, you know. In one of the arcs? And he could scale walls like nobody’s business. If he can do it, you can.”

He sputtered a laugh, watching her out of the corner of his eye. “That is the worst thing I’ve heard all week.”

She laughed with him, relieved to see him smile. “I have a ton of things to do before we head to bed. Are you okay here while I see to Zoso?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, then.” She leaned over to kiss him, relishing the fact that she could do even that much. “I’ll get him into the crate and lower him down. Your phone is right there, call me if you need me.”

“Yes, mum,” he teased.

“Ew.” She wrinkled her nose. No. No. No. No. No. “I am not your mum.”

He looked at her fully then, smiling wickedly. “I know.”

 


	14. Chapter 14

Belle sat down next to Nick and brushed her fingers across his cheek to get his attention. “Hey,” she said, giving him a small smile. “You ready for this?” 

He grimaced at the sight of the package of sterile bandages in her lap, anticipating the pain of the rewrapping itself as well as the look of disgust that was bound to show on Belle’s face. It wasn’t that he expected her to run screaming, she was too kind for that, but it was a shock that would show — no matter how much she thought she was prepared for it. He vomited the first time he saw the wound and refused to look at is since. 

“Not really,” he said. His stump was propped up on a bolster with towel underneath and even though it was wrapped up, it looked horrible to him. 

“I’m sorry, but Dr. Whale gave me very specific instructions…”

“Yeah, it’s okay, I’m just not ready is all.”

She ran her hand down over his shoulder and arm, up and down, up and down. “Maybe we should let the drugs kick in a bit first,” she said. 

“No, I’m feeling pretty good,” he lied. The drugs took some of the pain away, but not all of it and it didn’t mask the agony of the leg that wasn’t there. It felt like his toes were on fire, but his toes were gone as well as the rest of it. The therapist he saw said it was called phantom limb and had him look at his good leg in a mirror a few times so he could imagine that he still had two working legs, but Nick thought it was a ridiculous notion. The pain faded sometimes, but it always came back, especially at night when he was alone with his thoughts and his injuries — the leg being the worst of it, but there were others that liked to nag at him when he least expected them to. But he wasn’t alone anymore, he had Belle now. 

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, bracing himself

“Okay, let’s get it over with,” he said.

Belle’s hands ran up his arm a few more times before trickling down his chest to the side of his hip where it rested, heavy and present, before moving softly down his thigh, gently stroking his skin, which felt feverish and itchy now that she was touching him there. He stayed absolutely still, watching her face as she touched him, lightly scratching her nails against his thigh sending shivers of something warm and pleasant up his spine. If he wasn’t in so much pain, if he wasn’t on doctor’s orders to take things slow, he would have touched her back to see where things went, and, as he thought about her touch and how soft her hands were, he felt himself stirring with interest. 

Well, at least that still worked, he thought with relief. 

“Um, maybe we should just get it over with,” he said, straining to keep himself from betraying too much lest Belle notice how much her touch was affecting him. He was stripped down to a t-shirt and his boxers, which hid nothing and if he was in full health, he would have been ready to go in an instant, but now, he squirmed uncomfortably, now was not the time.

If he was in full health, he realized, Belle wouldn’t be sitting next to him on a bed, wearing Spider-man jammies and stroking his thigh. Nick felt conflicted. He wanted his leg back, but he wanted Belle and Zoso and… He shook his head trying to dispel the mad, swirling thoughts going through his brain. The medication he was on wasn’t good for his ability to think and they tended towards the morose now that he had nothing to do but sit in bed all day and look at his one foot. The doctor had suggested a therapist to help deal with the trauma and, at the time, Nick scoffed at him, but maybe talking to someone would help him get out of his own mind for a little bit. 

He looked at Belle and at how nervous she seemed, having to perform this duty for the first time. He’d just grit his teeth and bear it rather than let her know how much it hurt — she’d already done so much for him and Zoso, he didn’t want to make her feel worse.

“It’s fine,” he said, putting his hand on hers to stop her compulsive rubbing. “You need your sleep.”

“I’m a mess,” she told him, ruefully, but moved her hand away and took off the clip holding the bandage in place.

He hated looking at the stump and the angry, red scar and black stitches so instead he watched Belle as she carefully, gently unwound the bandage, stroking the skin as it became exposed. She slowed down when she got nearer the still swollen skin.

“My legs were nothing much to look at anyway,” he told her, softly.

“I loved your legs,” she said, sniffling then inhaled sharply when the last of the bandages fell away and held a hand to her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. Nick, leaned forward to hold her. Who cared about pain when Belle was crying. 

“Shhhhhh,” he told her. “It’s okay now.”

She shook her head, unable to speak. “S’not okay, Nick,” she said through her fingers. “I’m sorry. I thought I was prepared.”

“Don’t be. I’m still in shock whenever I see it.” he rubbed at her back until she opened her eyes. He smiled at her.  “Dr. Whale said he… he wrapped the muscle down over the, er, the bone. Something about making it easier to use a prosthetic …”

Belle sniffled again then opened up the new bandage. “I’m sorry, Nick,” she said, thickly. “I’m not disgusted. I’m angry. And I’m sad. And… This is not what I wanted for you,” she told him as she rewrapped his leg, following the pattern the nurse told her.

“Really,” he asked, glad of the distraction. “What did you want?”

“I—” she paused, blushing. “I wanted us, together.”

“Well, that happened,” he pointed out, hissing under his breath when she tugged too tightly against him. 

“I wanted you to be happy, mostly,” she muttered, glancing at his face before looking at what she was doing. 

Her hands were warm and gentle with him and he wanted nothing more than to reassure her that he was, in fact, very happy, except he would be lying. The future he’d envisioned for himself was almost exactly the same as Belle’s, but at the moment, even though they were married, he was miserable. 

“Did you, did you think about it a lot? Our future?” he asked, needing to be distracted from his thoughts. 

“All the time,” she confessed, biting her lip with a slight smile. “About us and… other things.”

Well, she wasn’t allowed to tease him with that smile of hers and not tell him. “Other things? Like what?”

She blushed. “Like… you and me.”

“But you just said that.”

“Together.”

It must have been the drugs muddling up his brain because it shouldn’t have taken him as long as it did for him to understand what she meant. Oh! Ohhhhhhh. Oh! Oh. Ooooooooooooooh oh oh ohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohhohohhohohoh!

“You mean… _together_?” he clarified.

“Yes, Nick. _Together_.”

“This is something you’ve thought about?”

“Mmmm. A lot.”

“Are you….” He cleared his throat. “Are you thinking about that now?”

She shook her head, grinning at her hands placed in her lap. “No, now I’m thinking of helping you to the bathroom.”

Well, fuck, that wasn’t nearly as fun, but he supposed it had to be done sooner or later. And maybe, when the ordeal was over with, they could revisit the topic again.

But he’d forgotten all about it by the time Belle eased him back into the bed. Merely getting to the bathroom and back had left him sweating and shaking and nearly ready to take every pill in his possession to keep from feeling so helpless and humiliated again. Belle, had taken everything in stride, but she was just a tiny thing herself and not made to act as a crutch — literally and figuratively now. The trek to the bathroom was difficult and they’d almost lost their balance, twice, but they managed to keep from tumbling over.

“We have got to find a better way,” she said, once she had him tucked into bed, his stump back on the bolster and Zoso by his side. “The wheelchair I rented won’t even fit through the doorway.” She rubbed at her forehead in frustration. “We need a smaller chair and a bigger apartment.”

He didn’t want to talk about it. He just wanted to sleep, hopefully through the night, at least a few hours if all night was impossible. He was exhausted, in agony, and humiliated, and then he felt stupid for feeling humiliated because how else was he going to use the bathroom? He closed his eyes for a brief moment and when he’d opened them again — a sharp pain lancing through his missing leg — the room was in dark shadows. He’d fallen asleep on her. Damn. He’d only meant to rest for a moment, not ignore her completely.  He shifted, trying to find a comfortable position, but it was impossible. He was up now and he glanced at the clock to see if it was time for his medication again, but the time showed that it was still an hour away. 

He turned his head to find Belle looking at him, blearily. 

“I’m sorry to wake you,” he whispered. “Go back to sleep.”

She shook her head, propping herself up on her elbow so she could lean over and give him a kiss on the corner of his mouth. “S’okay. I haven’t been able to sleep. Worried about moving and kicking you,” she told him, softly.

He didn’t know why they were whispering, they were the only humans in the building at this time of night. 

“You should try to get some sleep,” he told her.

“You need it more,” she said. 

“I can sleep any time. I don’t want you to collapse in the reference section tomorrow. No one goes in there, you wouldn’t be found for days.”

She chuckled at him, brushing his hair back and his head naturally followed her hand as it trailed away. 

“I’m okay,” she told him, brushing over his shoulder and chest, lightly. “Do you need anything?”

“No, I’m good,” he lied for the second time that night wondering why her hand was trailing down by his waist until a curious finger dipped underneath the elastic of his boxers. “Shit, Belle.”

“You need to relax, Nick,” she told him, running her fingers against him until he was thick and straining before she pulled his boxers down, exposing him to the night air. “Let me do this for you.”

“Nnnngh,” was the most intelligent reply he could manage. He should tell her to stop, but he’d used up his quota of lies for the evening and her hand was so hot and so soft against him, stroking him, twisting her hand and squeezing in just the right way that if he didn’t know any better, he’d sworn he’d kept a hidden camera in his old apartment because how could she know he liked it just like that? She spoke to him then, low and soft, into his ear as she told him exactly what she would think about during those lonely nights when they were apart and she had no hope for reciprocation. 

“Belle,” he managed to get out, before, thighs and belly shaking and his breath catching in a hoarse cry, he spilled himself against her hand and his chest in thick ropes. She slowed down, drawing out his orgasm as long as possible before the sensation got to be too much and he twisted away from her. “Jesus, Belle,” he said, panting. “ _Fuck_.”

“Get some sleep,” she said, kissing him again, this time fully on the lips and he’d wished they’d done that before. She needed to know how much he loved her, how much he desired her, but, then, his eyes were closing again and he fell into a gentle sleep listening to her whisper sweet things into his ear.

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience. This is the busiest time of the year for me and I haven't had much of a chance to sit and write until this week. I still have a bunch of stuff going on, but it's not nearly as intense as it was the past three weeks.

Morning came too early for Belle, having fallen asleep sometime after two in the morning once she was sure Nick was as comfortable as he could be and that she wasn’t going to accidentally shove him off the bed since she wasn’t used to anyone else sleeping with her. It was a shifting, jerking, pulling motion that woke her from an unsatisfactory sleep and she opened her eyes, blearily to find Nick trying to pull himself into his wheelchair, but the wheel had gotten tangled up in the covers.

“Here, let me,” she mumbled sleepily, scrambling out of bed to hurry to his side, rubbing her eyes and yawning as she stumbled around the foot of the bed. The blanket was just wrapped in the spokes, it would only take a tug or two and it would come free.

“There’s no point if I can’t do it myself,” he grumbled at her, shoulders hunched over in defeat.

She pulled back immediately, stung. “All right,” she said and watched as he heaved himself into the chair with shaking arms and leg, waiting until he was fully situated in his chair with the arm swung back into place before pushing him towards the bathroom.

He sighed heavily, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Belle.”

“What for,” she asked, locking the wheelchair in place before coming around the front to help him with his balance.

“For snapping at you.”

She looked at him in confusion. “You didn’t snap,” she told him gently. “And you’re right. You do need to do it yourself. I’ll be here when you need me.”

She poked him on the nose, trying to get him to smile, but he only managed a slight twist of his lips, clearly feeling rotten for dismissing her help earlier.

"Come on, let's get you ready. Then you can take Zoso for a walk while I finish up, okay?"

He nodded, one arm slung over her shoulder and the other bracing himself against the doorjamb. “This is the worst part,” he told her with an unhappy grimace.

She looked at the bathroom, confused. “What? Bodily functions? It just means you don’t need a colostopy bag, you should be thrilled.”

He stared at her before bursting into hysterical laughter. She watched him in helpless amusement and made a note to check the pain pills by his side of the bed before he took any more.

“Sorry,” he said, gasping for breath. “Sorry.”

“That’s the second unnecessary apology you’ve given me in half an hour. Stop it,” she told him firmly, poking at him in the stomach before rubbing at it in a small circle. “It’s good to see you smiling again,” she added.

His lips twitched as he looked down at her, the fervor in his eyes warming her from her toes on up. A faint blush dusted his cheeks and she longed to stand on her tiptoes and kiss his silly, smirking face.

They were married now, she realized, and there was no reason to hold herself in check anymore, so she did, brushing her lips against the scruffy stubble on the hollow of his cheek, listening to the way he softly exhaled at her touch.

“I was smiling last night,” he said, his voice low and husky in her ear that brought an immediate flush to her already overheated body and if he kept speaking to her in that tone of voice then they would be inexcusably, blissfully late for his first PT appointment.

Tempting.

Instead, she nudged the bathroom door open a bit further with her toe. “You were too tired to smile,” she reminded him as they made their way in.

“It felt like I was smiling," he told her as he awkwardly tugged his underwear down. “Um…”

“I’m not watching, I promise you.” She rested her cheek against his back, helping him balance and thinking that it might have been better if he sat down, but then they would have to get him back up again — she glanced down, eyes widening...

Last night she was too exhausted to pay much attention, but now, in the clear light of day, she had the most glorious view of his ass. It was taut and round and there were these adorable dimples just above it. She didn't know he had those. It didn’t seem fair.

She wanted to put her tongue in each one.

Her heart dropped to her stomach before shooting up to her throat where it beat wildly. Oh god, she would absolutely not force herself on her husband while he was using the toilet. She looked up and away towards the shower needing a distraction.

That would be a better place, she thought. Once she got a stool for him to sit upon.

“I liked doing it," she said, absently, glancing back at his rear one more time. "Making you smile,” she said when he turned his head in silent askance. “Let’s, um, let’s get through the day and then we can both smile.”

He faltered and then cursed as he made a mess.

"Yeah, you're cleaning that up.

* * *

 

Physical therapy left them both sweating and exhausted and Nick downright miserable. He hadn’t been prepared for how much muscle tone he’d lost in a week and, Belle, as his support and the person who would help him continue his exercises at home, wasn’t prepared to be doing quite so much heavy lifting. She’d worn the wrong shoes, foolishly thinking could wear her work clothes to a PT appointment, and had wound up taking them off before five minutes had gone by. They now sat on a chair in the corner with Zoso guarding them as if they’d been put in time out.

The gym was state of the art and filled with more mats, tables, and contraptions than Belle knew the names for. They’d been put through several exercises to help build up Nick’s strength, which was lost after his operation and hospital stay. It was a friendly place, but it smelled of stale sweat, which made Belle wrinkle her nose when they walked in. She saw therapists wiping down surfaces after every use, but the aroma lingered in the air. She hadn’t expected that she would be asked to join in and, while she was in decent shape, she had done more physical work in five days than she was used to and she was beginning to feel a little dizzy.

“We’ll start you with light weights and go up gradually,” said the therapist, who introduced himself simply as Dove. He was big and burly and seemed to really enjoy his job. He’d come highly recommended through the hospital and, when Nick called to set up the appointment, had been more than happy to make time for them. “You’re fairly small, but you’re strong and, fortunately, Nick isn’t a hulk.”

Nick made a face over his water bottle.

“Is there something that we could be doing at home,” Belle asked, ignoring Nick silent tantrum.

“Well, you can do the exercises I just showed you and have the nurses showed you how to massage the leg?”

She shook her head. “No, they just told me how to keep the wound clean and how to wrap it.”

“But no massage,” he clarified. “Typical.” He turned to Nick. “If you’ll come back up on the table, I’ll show Belle what to do. It’ll help with circulation and muscle relaxing. Plus it’s nice. May lead to babies,” he added with a sly grin.

Nick choked, coughing up a swallow of water.

“If you want babies,” Dove amended.

Belle could feel the blush creeping up her cheeks. They hadn’t done anything more intimate than a quick fumble underneath the sheets and a bit of daydreaming in the morning on her part, babies weren’t even a blip on their radar. “Um…”

“Nevermind,” Nick said, clumsily wheeling his chair over to them. He set the brake and the lock after fumbling for a moment, holding up a hand when Belle went to do it for him. He got it set, then, taking a deep breath, lifted himself up with the help of his good leg and scooted up onto the padded table.

“Excellent,” Dove said, smiling. “It’s lucky you were already in good shape, Nick. I get a lot of patients who aren’t and this is much more difficult for them, physically."

Nick grunted, sitting with his leg dangling over the edge and his arms quivering under the strain of holding himself up.

"First of all, you need to relax," Dove said, placing a hand to his back. "You can sit normally. There's no need to keep a death grip on the table. You won't fall off. Not with Belle here," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

She nodded her head and came to his other side, giving his sweaty cheek a kiss when he loosened his grip. She couldn't blame him for being nervous, but she also didn't want him to work himself into an anxiety attack.

Dove began unwrapping Nick's leg. "The first thing is you will need a lubricant. Olive oil works well and you don't have to go to a specialty store for it." He began working the thigh muscle, kneading it firmly underneath his hands. "See how I'm holding my arms? You have to be careful to do it right otherwise you can injure yourself and then you'll be in here with me, too." He continued for another minute then stepped back, indicating that Belle should give it a try. He corrected her hand placement a few times before he was satisfied she wasn't going to hurt herself.

"How's that feel, Nick?" he asked.

"Fine." He said through gritted teeth.

"Doesn't hurt?"

"Mm mm."

"Are you lying?"

"Mm hmm."

Belle immediately took her hands away, mortified.

"No, keep going another three minutes."

"But—"

"No buts. You can only coddle him so much and this will help in the long run."

Belle smoothed her hands over his thigh a few times before digging in, gradually going over the exposed flesh bit by bit until Dove was satisfied she could do it without hurting herself or Nick.

"When the stitches come out and the scar tissue develops we'll move on to massaging that. Scars harden and get tight. You need to massage it to prevent that and if Nick thinks this is painful then he'll be in for a whole new world of hurt then."

Nick just grunted.

"If it hurts though," Belle began.

"It will at the beginning, but it won't last. He can do this himself, but it's better if he has help."

She tried to ignore Dove standing at her elbow, directing her in her work, and concentrated on Nick and his skin and how warm it was and how the muscle felt underneath her fingers. Nick was silent and she glanced up at him a few times to make sure he wasn’t in too much pain. No matter what Dove said, she wasn’t going to put him through agony just because he said to. Nick seemed fine, watching her knead his leg and as an experiment, she added a soft stroke after each squeeze.

It was wrong to think of him like this when she was supposed to be helping him. She knew it, but she couldn’t help her eyes stray up his thigh towards his crotch and wondering if, in a few days or so, this activity would lead to another kind of exercise.

She hoped so.

“This should be enough for now. You should massage the stump every night at least. Don’t be shy, I’m sure your doctor cleared you for more romantic activities, you can add this to your routine.”

Belle’s hands faltered and she took them away, embarrassed. “Um… I’m just gonna head to the ladies. Are you okay for a minute, Nick?” she asked rubbing the area between his shoulder blades.

He nodded. “Yeah I’m fine,” he said, giving her a slight nudge with his shoulder and she left their room knowing he’d be fine with Dove around.

Her make up was a lost cause now that she was all sweaty, so she splashed water on her face, hoping to cool off a bit and refresh herself then looked at herself in the mirror, flinching when she noticed the dark circles and sallow skin. She was hardly at her best, but she supposed it was understandable given the circumstances. Nick wasn’t in that great a shape either, having lost a great deal of weight after his accident, and he had already been on the lean side of things before he drove off the bridge. Zoso, too, was recovering and it was now up to her to help them regain their health. She wanted to do it. She loved Nick and she adored Zoso, but she needed help.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, something Dove had walked them through at the beginning of their session and it clicked. Dove would have resources, or know of them at least. He was probably the best person to talk to.

She quickly smoothed out her hair as best she could then left, feeling better now that she had the beginnings of a plan to work on.

The bathroom was just around the corner from the private room Dove had used and, as she neared the open doorway, she heard Nick laughing and she stopped short, unwilling to interrupt them, but unsure of listening in. She was just about to go to the front desk to arrange for the next session when Dove’s voice carried out into the hall.

“—Heard about the accident, man. Worst week of your life?”

“No, the best,” she heard Nick say without hesitation.

“How do you figure?”

“She married me,” he said in what sounded like disbelief. “That’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I should have asked her years ago.”

Belle put a shaking hand up to her throat, squeezing her eyes shut. She knew, then, that they were going to get through this. Together.

“That’s beautiful, man,” Dove said. “I’m happy for you. Most people come in a week after their operations and I have to try to psych them up, get them motivated to go on, and I get you in my torture chambers and you’re ready to take on anything. I wish more people had your way of thinking.”

“Most people don’t have Belle.”

“You gonna do anything for her? Show her how much you appreciate her?”

She peeked her head around the corner, nearly jumping back when Nick noticed her.

“Well,” he said, with a crooked grin. “I’d like to try to make her smile.”


	16. Chapter 16

After Nick’s therapy appointment they took Zoso to the park by the library to let him burn off a bit of energy. The park was empty of people, but the birds by the edge of the small pond were enough of a distraction for Zoso who was let off leash to give chase while Belle pushed Nick’s chair behind.

They ambled in silence, each of them in their own thoughts. The mid day sun shone down on them, warming them on that chilly day. Storybrooke was a coastal town so they didn’t get as much snow as other towns in Maine, but it did get frosty nevertheless. They watched Zoso run back and forth by the water’s edge for a time before they needed to push on to keep warm.

Belle was very much hoping that Nick would talk, knowing how he tended to keep things close to his chest. She wanted to share her thoughts with him, but didn’t know how to broach the things she was thinking of without breaking the mood.

"Soooo, I heard that police use German commands so that random people can't take control the dogs... Is that true?" Belle asked, as she stopped by a bench and set the wheelchair’s brakes.

Nick shook his head with an indulgent smile. "No, that's just a myth. I use the language Zoso learned when he went through his training. It would be too confusing for him to relearn everything in English."

"And so you do speak some German then?"

"Belgian. Well, Flemish. I mean, he understands English words, but he works in Flemish," he clarified before pausing, giving her a sharp look. "Wait. You already know this, Belle. What are you playing at?" He’d twisted himself up in his seat to look up at her.

"Yeah," she said, grinning sheepishly. "I just like to hear you talk — always have — and it seems like a good subject." She shrugged her shoulders and looked down in embarrassment before turning her eyes to take in his stunned look. "Silly of me," she said softly.  

His stared at her open-mouthed for a moment. "I... well, I..." He laughed nervously, but Belle could see that he was pleased by the way his eyes lit up and crinkled in the corners as he tried not to outright grin at her. "I could teach you? It would be good for you to know anyway since we’re living together now. He’ll obey you as it is, but it’s easier if you know his commands."

"That would be great," she said, genuinely eager to learn. "You were a good police officer, you know," she said softly, bumping her hip against his shoulder lightly. “I loved watching you and Zoso train in the park across the street from the library.” Her heart gave a little lurch, embarrassed by her confession, but why? They were married. There was nothing left but honesty now. “I used to get so behind because I couldn’t concentrate on my work when you two were there.”

His lip twitched at the corners and she wanted nothing more than to lean over and bite them. “What? You forgot the alphabet? Couldn’t shelve past the B’s?”

“Shut up,” she told him, embarrassed, before what he said clicked. “Wait, the B’s are by the front window. How did you know that?”

He bit his lip and looked down at Zoso who was staring at him alertly, waiting for another command.

“I may have gone to that park on purpose. What I mean is, I liked seeing you, too.” He glanced up at her. “I saw you watching and it made me feel nice. But, you know, everyone stops to watch when they see us training, even if it’s for a little while. I didn’t think it was more than that.”

She pressed her lips together to keep the smile at bay. “Really? You would do that on purpose?”

“We are pathetic,” he said, shaking his head helplessly before straightening his shoulders and turning towards Zoso. “Okay, your first lesson. Zit!”

Horrified, Belle slapped a hand on her chin.

Startled, Nick looked up at her then burst out laughing. “No. No, I told him to sit. I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”

She dropped her hand, feeling the blush rise up from her toes. “Oh.”

“Are you ready to go on,” he asked, still chuckling.

“Are you?” she countered, crossing her arms over her chest with a smirk.

Zoso barked at them sharply, agitated that they weren’t paying any attention to him. It would have been more effective if he wasn’t wearing his cone, but it did get their attention.

Nick slowly went over Zoso’s basic commands, skipping over the ones that would send the animal running towards another person like a loaded weapon. They worked until Belle had mastered the language needed and Zoso was spent — quicker than usual, but his energy levels had been picking up every day and Nick was very pleased with the care Belle had shown.

“You are amazing, Belle. I’m not sure you understand how grateful I am that you were here for us,” he leaned his head back to look at her, watching as she blushed once more, this time out of quiet pleasure.

“You would have done the same for me,” she said, bending down to kneel by his side. “I’m just sorry—”

He stopped her with a hand on her arm. “I am, too. I was stupid that night. I shouldn’t have been out in the first place. I should have been driving slower. I should have called for help sooner.” He shook his head. “Belle, it’s no one’s fault, but if anyone is to blame it lays squarely on my shoulders. No one else’s.”

She looked up at him curiously. “Why were you out? You had the night off, you came in and told me.”

Nick turned his head, watching Zoso, who was sniffing around the garbage can with interest. “I don’t know. I mean, you were… busy and I figured... I figured I could take Sean’s shift, you know? He was upset because it was their first Valentine’s as a married couple and… well, I told him I’d take it.”

“I should never have gone on that stupid date,” Belle said, dropping her head on his armrest. “I didn’t even have a good time. Not really. I spent most of it thinking about you.”

“Funny,” Nick said, hoarsely. “That’s how I spent most of my time, too.” He smoothed a strand of her hair off her face.

“Let’s go home?” Belle asked, standing up, wincing as her knees cracked loudly.

“Yeah. Home.”

* * *

 

The apartment seemed even more cramped than it did that morning when they left. Belle sighed to herself as she shook out her quivering arms, wondering when they would be able to move into Nick’s apartment, or maybe find a new place altogether. The makeshift elevator was working fine, but it was short term solution to a long term problem and she didn’t know if it was an arrangement she was physically able to keep up much longer.

“Do you want to take the first shower?” she called out, placing the shower stool that Dove let them borrow into the tub. There was plenty of room in the tub, but climbing in and out would be difficult. “We can eat after, or we can go back out if you prefer. Maybe go to Granny’s?” she said as she emerged from the bathroom, slapping her hands against her thighs.

“And risk my life in that box again?” he scoffed. “I don’t think so.”

“I won’t drop you. And you’ll have to go back out tomorrow,” she pointed out.

He gave her a crooked smile that sent shivers straight to her pelvis. She wondered if he knew what that look did to her. He probably practiced in the mirror until he perfected it, waiting until the moment where she was weakest before unleashing its power on her unsuspecting soul.

“Oh, sweetheart… I don’t know if I can,” he said, running a hand over his eyes .

She blinked, pleased and not a little amused at the term of endearment. “Sweetheart?” she asked, head tilted to the side and a smile quirking on her lips.

He looked up at her, eyes wide and caught. “I… I’m sorry?”

She bit her lip, shaking her head at him. “No, I like it. I like being a sweetheart. Your sweetheart to be exact.” She took his hands, holding them tightly. “You ready?”

Nick took a deep breath and nodded. “Yup.” He locked the chair and nudged the foot rest to the side, bracing his foot so they wouldn’t topple over onto the bathroom floor.

“Liar,” she said with a small laugh, squeezing his hands before grasping him above the elbow and slowly helped him up. “Got it?”

“Yeah,” Nick grunted. “Getting easier. Hate not having my balance.”

“It sucks, I know, but we’ll have the hang of it soon.”

With her shoulder under Nick’s arm, they took the few steps into the bathroom and the waiting tub where he slowly sat down onto the stool before swinging his leg into the tub.

Belle looked at him with pride before cursing under her breath. “Maybe we should have taken your pants off first. How is this going to work?” She rubbed at her eyes, trying to think. “Okay, um…”

The sound of a heavy belt buckle clinking followed by the quiet rasp of a zipper being undone stopped her short.

“I’ll just scoot them off,” Nick said, trying to lift his hips on each side, lowering his pants, inch by inch.

“Wait, let’s get you standing first, then we can just yank them down.”

He laughed quietly to himself as she climbed in the tub in front of him, then grunted when she helped him balance once more.

“Do you need help?” she asked, both hands wrapped around him and the side of her face pressed against his chest.

“Nah, I got it.” Nick had one arm braced against the shower wall and the other was working on sliding his pants and boxers down where they stopped at his ankle. “‘Kay,” he told her and as she lowered him back down he offered a quiet,” Sorry about the—”

“Give me a break, I’ve already seen it,” she muttered before gently taking his clothes and tossing them to the side then watched, shamelessly while he stripped off his shirt. The small scars littering his chest were still an angry red and slightly swollen, but there was no sign of infection and that was good enough for now.  

She quickly averted her eyes when the shirt was off, keeping them deliberately on his flushed face no matter how much they wanted to stray downwards. He was looking at the side of the tub shyly, the tops of his ear were reddening in the most adorable manner and she felt a rush of nerves flutter around in her belly at the sight. She leaned over to brush the tip of his left ear with her lips. It was hot and dry and the sensation of his skin burned as she moved away, an embarrassed smile playing on her lips.

Surprised by the brief kiss, Nick looked up at her, eyes wide and hopeful and full what she now recognized as love. He loved her. He always had. Another kiss, this time to his lips, a bit softer, a bit longer and then she reluctantly pulled away with rueful look. A shower first, then dinner and Nick’s meds, then bed and, if they weren’t completely wiped out by then, some long overdue smiles.

The water pressure in her building was adequate and she’d installed a hand-held shower head when she first moved in, so washing should be a breeze. She hopped out of the tub, thrusting a washcloth in his hand before closing the curtain shut with a practiced jerk of her arm. Handing him the shower head, she turned the water on, setting it to a comfortable temperature.

She felt restless in the tiny bathroom waiting for him to finish. The sound of water sloshing around as Nick washed himself didn’t do much to dispel the awkwardness she felt and she wondered if he wanted her to leave. She could probably do something useful while she waited, like order dinner or return some phone calls, but she didn’t want to leave Nick alone. And she would have to take a shower next anyway after she’d got him out and dried off and dressed. She may as well have joined him in the shower, really.

“Is the water too hot?” she asked over the sound of the running water, shoving her skirt off and kicking her underwear after it.

“Nope.”

“Did you, uh, did you need me to get your back for you?”

“Only if I can do yours after,” he said, cheekily.

“Really?” she gasped, pretending to be offended, but she’d already had her shirt over her head and was wrestling with her bra before she could chicken out.

The sound of him laughing at her was almost as good as the stunned look on his face as she stepped into the shower in front of him.

“Fuck, Belle,” he growled, eyes riveted to her breasts, his face stupefied with disbelief before remembering himself and looking up at her face. “You’re… _fuck_.”

“Get your back for you?” she asked. She scooted around him, letting the tips of her nipples, already pebbled from the shock of the air against her skin and anticipation for what was to come, brush the side of his cheek. Then, face burning at her audacity, she snatched the washcloth from his hand and soaped it up, gently washing his back, running it in slow figure eights over his tense shoulders and down the bumpy ridge of his spine. He was thin, too thin after the accident and his hospital stay, but she was determined on feeding him better now that he was out.

He turned his head a bit to the left, his short hair sticking up in spikes from the shampoo, and she could tell that he was trying not to stare at her, but, now that she was in back of him and protected from his fervored gaze, she didn’t mind so much. There was nothing to be ashamed of, it was just the newness of it that made her nervous. She’d always been a bit shy about being naked in front of her lovers, but Nick wasn’t just a lover to her, he was her best friend, now her husband, and she’d loved him for years. She could borrow a bit of bravery and face him without shame.

She let the water run over his back, watching the bubbles wash away and finding a few freckles left in their wake. She kissed each one before she handed the washcloth back and stepped in front of him again.

“Ready to do mine?” she asked, voice wavering from nerves.

“Uh...” He swallowed heavily before he went on, “Just your back?” he asked, glancing up at her, his face soft and slack and his eyes burning a hot right through her.

“Wherever you can reach,” she whispered faintly and she let her eyes slip shut as the spray of the water hit her overheated skin before they flew open again when he touched her for the first time. 

His hands shook as he tenderly ran the cloth over her belly then up her left side and over her chest. His other hand trailed after the washcloth, smoothing away the bubbles with each pass. His fingers were rough and calloused, but gentle and they left a trail of burning fire with each caress. He must be saving her breasts for last, she realized with amusement, then bit her lip to keep from screaming when he finally touched them. She couldn’t hold back a moan though and it slipped through her teeth as he tugged and pinched at her nipples, running his fingers lightly underneath and along the sides. Joining him in the shower had been the best idea she’d ever had, she thought as she watched him tend to her.

Nick looked at her with awe, his pupils blown nearly black with desire as he held her waist in his soapy hands, running them up and down her sides — the washcloth long abandoned on the bathtub floor — before clutching her closer to lightly trace his lips against her nipples. She waited for the pull of his mouth as he sucked on them, but, after he’d  he leaned back  and held the shower head up, letting the water run over her body.

Belle jumped when the spray his her pubic area eliciting another moan from her lips and she nearly grabbed at his hand to keep it there, but Nick wasn’t in a playful mood, merely watching intently until all the soap was washed away.

She slowly let her eyes drop down below his chest, past the trail of fuzz under his perfect circle of a belly button and down to his lap, where, to her pleasure, he was very much interested in what he was doing. Her mouth parted in a silent gasp at the sight of his erection. She’d held him in her hand the night before, hot and heavy, but it had been dark and she’d been half-asleep. He was large and swollen as it emerged from the coarse hair, the head was nearly purple and glistening from the shower. She licked her lips, ready to fall to her knees and taste him, wanting to give him some pleasure, but he pushed her away gently after letting the shower head drop now that the soap had all washed away.

“Lean back?” he said, glancing at her face anxiously before licking his lips and letting his gaze drop back to her breasts again.

Belle glanced towards the wall, the cold tiles didn’t look very inviting, but she felt like she was smouldering in the shower now and was willing to do anything Nick asked of her as long as he kept touching her.

She leaned back, letting him lift her knee up and prop her foot against his good leg. She was as exposed to him as she’d ever been, but the embarrassment had long flown out the window. She only saw the love and need in his eyes and that made her feel more powerful than she’d ever had before. There was nothing to hold onto except Nick’s shoulder and the inset where she kept the soap and she held on for dear life was he slowly parted her damp curls with two fingers, spreading them carefully to expose her pink and swollen lips.

“Oh, Belle!” His eyes roved everywhere, up to her face, back down at her crotch, then at her breasts, then her face once more before a shuddering breath gusted over her belly. “You are so beautiful.”

She shook her head, but his strong fingers were already at work exploring her folds, dipping in and out, circling the fleshy nub sitting just above, now swollen and aching for his touch. She cried out, hoarsely, as he zeroed in on the spots that made her thighs shiver, pumping his fingers inside her as his thumb pressed up against her clit, massaging it gently. His other arm was wrapped around her waist, anchoring her and keeping her safe from falling.

Belle gave up on holding onto the soap dish and clung to him as her hips bucked erratically, searching for release from the pressure that was building inside her. She was close, so close and her moans echoed through the bathroom with each thrust of his hand. Her eyes tried to close, but she forced them open, watching both Nick’s hand as it worked in her and his face as he gazed at her, his jaw slack and eyes heavy-lidded. She was at the brink when he murmured encouragingly, telling her how beautiful she was, how good she felt, how much he loved her. The sound of his voice sent her over the edge with a guttural cry and a gush of warm liquid that ran over his hand.

Her knees gave out, but Nick caught her with a grunt, bringing her onto his lap where she gasped and shivered against him, his hard length captured between their bodies and the sensation of Belle’s shaking body against it was enough to bring him through to a shuddering end.

“Your leg,” she cried when she realized where she was sitting, upset that she may have hurt him, but he held on tight telling her that he was fine, his leg was fine, everything was fine and to please not move. He nuzzled at her until he found her lips, kissing her until she was breathless once more and, gasping, she pulled away before she forgot herself and did more damage to his already aching leg.

“This was so much better than I imagined,” he mumbled into her hair.

She started giggling. “You’ve thought about fingering me in the shower?” she asked as she pulled back. “Seriously?”

He looked sheepish, a blush blooming on his cheeks. “Not just in the shower, but yeah. I’ve always wanted you.”

Belle hid her face in the crook of his neck, wanting to confess something, too, but not sure how far she should go. “I’ve thought about you, too.”

His arms tightened around her. “Really?”

“Really,” she promised, holding him close before heaving a weary sigh and loosening her grip. “We should probably get out before we freeze to death.”

“No. I want to stay here forever.”

“Two more minutes,” she agreed. “Then you have to let me take care of you.”


	17. Chapter 17

Nick lay in bed, staring up at the shadows on the ceiling. He knew there was a sappy grin on his face, but as Belle was currently asleep on his shoulder with his arm wrapped around her, he didn’t care. He probably wouldn’t even care if she woke up and saw it since she was the one who put it there in the first place.

Thinking about how beautiful Belle looked as she came on his hand kept his mind off the pain shooting up from his missing toes so he concentrated on remembering every detail, every sound, every scent. She was beyond anything he had been capable of imagining, his fantasies not even coming close to reality. He never knew that she made those mewling little noises in the back of her throat, he didn’t imagine that her thighs shook when she came or that it would last as long as it had. Belle, squirming in his lap, riding out her orgasm was the best feeling in the world and, if he puffed up with happiness because _he_ did that to her, _he_ made her feel good, _he_ put that goofy smile on her face, then fuck everything, he’d own it with pride.

A large part of him couldn't really believe it was real, that she was willing and responsive and loved him seemed like a dream. He'd spent so long loving her that this sudden jump in their relationship felt unreal. It had always been one of his goals in life: be a police officer and marry Belle French. Well, he was no longer a police officer, but he had Belle French. Somehow, he’d managed it and he hadn’t even been fully conscious when it happened.

But she wasn't Belle French anymore, he realized with a thrilling jolt. She was Belle _Gold_ his _wife_ and holy fuck how did that even happen? How the hell did they go from best friends to husband and wife in a matter of a week? He didn’t think it would ever happen. He’d wanted it to happen. Would have given more than just his leg to be honest. He had figured, after years of never getting up the nerve to ask her out properly, that, eventually, he’d be the one to walk her down the aisle to some other lucky fucking bastard waiting for her. He never imagined the lucky bastard would be him.

But all that was over now — water under the bridge he’d driven off of. She loved him — the whole time, every moment he’d thought he wasn’t good enough, she was thinking he didn’t care. He could have kicked himself, except he currently had one leg. Kicking anything was out of the question. Doing anything but sitting in his wheelchair or doing his physical therapy was out of the question.

She was his _wife_ and he had no way to provide for her, no means of making money, no way to spoil her with the tiny things she loved but refused to splurge on. How the fuck was he going to take care of her?

His career was gone. He had a bit in savings and he would receive a good-sized insurance payout soon, but that wouldn’t be for a few weeks yet. The police would provide a partial pension he knew, but, again, how could he buy Belle books when he could barely contribute to rent? How could he take care of his dog? He wasn't even able to take care of himself without massive help from someone else. He needed help just getting out of bed. For fuck’s sake he couldn’t even go take a shit without someone taking him. He was useless.

His biggest fear was losing Belle. That she would become so overworked and he would become such a burden that, once he was back on his feet again so to speak, she would leave. Realize that she'd made a mistake after all. She'd always talked about traveling the world some day. What if she decided that day couldn't come soon enough and she left him behind. That was always his biggest fear even before the accident. That she would leave and never come back and, now that he had a taste of what being with Belle was like — really and fully — if he lost her, he would truly be dust.

He grew restless as he contemplated his future and what he was supposed to do after he recuperated. His only experience was in law enforcement, but now he wasn’t even fit for guard duty at the mall. What was he going to do now? Sit on the street corner with a cup and beg?

And now he was fucking crying. “Shit,” he muttered to himself, putting a hand up to his eyes, squeezing them shut against to keep them from falling, but it was too late, they were already slipping out the corners and falling into his fucking ears and Belle’s hair. He sniffled, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand, then pressed it to his mouth to smother a sob that slipped out without warning.

Fucking pathetic.

Belle stirred at the noise. “Mmm?” she said, lifting her head up to peer, bleary-eyed at him in the dark. “You in pain, baby?”

Well, yeah, he was actually, but they’d have to take his other leg for him to admit it right now.

“M’good, sweetheart,” he whispered hoarsely, pulling her back down and kissing the top of her head “Go back to sleep.” He held his breath, trying to get his emotions under control before she woke up completely and felt responsible for him some more. His leg and pain medicine could wait a few hours. Belle was already over-worked and needed her sleep. He could give her that much.

Her tiny nose nuzzled at his chest, her breath warming him as she snuggled in.

“Love you,” she mumbled, sleepily before her breathing regulated and she was once again asleep.

“Love you, too, Belle,” he told her once he was sure he could speak without whimpering.

Fuck his leg. Fuck Malcolm. Fuck everything. He had Belle and he would do everything within his means to make sure she was happy.

He just had to be brave.


	18. Chapter 18

The pain from his phantom limb and the surgeries could not wipe the small smile from Nick’s face the next morning. Zoso was snoring on a fluffy blanket by his side of the bed and Belle  was asleep next to him, curled up like a cat and twice as warm. Unable to sleep, he spent most of the morning simply watching her, counting the time until she woke up and he could see her beautiful smile again.

After a while, Belle stretched against him, making a moue in the back of her throat before she became fully awake, blinking her blue eyes at him. Nick stared down at her in awe.

"I can't believe you're here," he said, softly.

She shot him a quizzical look before asking him with all seriousness, "Where else would I be?"

His breath gusted out in a soft, silent laugh, shaking his head at her before pressing a kiss to the top of her head.  

She propped herself up on her elbow. "How long have you been up? We should get you to the bathroom—"

He put a hand on her forearm, stalling her. “No, I’m good,” he told her, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers. “And I really don’t want to move.”

Her nose wrinkled as her eyes ran over his face, checking for signs of pain. “Are you hurting? Do you need your medication?”

“Nope. I took it,” he glanced at the clock on the side table. “Forty-three minutes ago... forty-four, now. I’m good.”

She lay back down, resting her head on his shoulder, snuggling in close. “You should have woken me, Nick.”

“I think you needed your sleep more. The pills and the water are right there. I’m fine until we need to take Zoso out.”

“I took him out at dawn. He’s good on the stairs now.” She nuzzled her nose into chest, closing her eyes in contentment. “Now that you mention it, I’m pretty cozy, too.”

“It’s pretty cold out there,” he agreed.

“Mmmm,” she replied before her eyes opened and she popped back up. “Oh! This is the perfect time for my experiment!” she said, scrambling out of bed and padding to her closet.

Nick admired the way she moved, pleased that she didn’t feel the need to get dressed once they made it to bed the night before. She’d just pulled on a pair of, he admitted, really cute knickers before helping him into bed and if he’d been at full strength, he’d have done his best to get them back off again. Or not. It would be fun just pulling them aside, too.

“What are you doing,” he asked with amusement when she came back with a phone book. “Where did you even find that?”

“Came with the place,” she said, crawling back in and sticking her legs back under the covers with a shiver. “Found it stuffed under the sink. I didn’t want to throw it out—”

“Must be a librarian thing,” he muttered under his breath as she shoved it at his chest.

“Maybe,” she said. “It’s a relic of the past. And this was before the town started to recycle so I just hung on to it and now it’s a permanent fixture.”

He glanced at the cover. “It’s from nineteen ninety-seven.”

“Forever ago, yes,” she agrees, scooting down onto her back and pulling the covers up to her chin. She closed her eyes in anticipation.

“What am I doing with this?”

“Read it,” she told him, playfully.

“You want me to read the phone book? Did I turn into Morgan Freeman overnight?”

“Stop stalling,” she said, slapping at his chest with her fingertips. “Just open it anywhere and read it to me.”

“I love you, Belle. You’re weird, but I love you.”

“Mmm.”

Nick opened it at random and, glancing at his wife, read out four entries. “Is this enough?”

“Keep going,” she said, a small smile playing on her lips and her eyes still closed.

So he read four more names, then another four when the smile grew wider, then another four until he’d had enough and tossed the book onto the floor.

“Why did I just do that?” he asked, lifting her chin with his finger.  
  


“Because you love me and I’m your darling wife?” she replied, her eyes twinkling.

“That’s true, but there was a purpose. What was it for?”

“I like your voice.”

“Really?”

“Mmm.” She rolled over onto her side, propping her head up again. “I’ve always wondered if you’d be able to read the phone book and make me—”

“Make you?” he prompted, blinking rapidly.

“I love your voice,” she said, burying her face against his neck. “I mean, your voice and your accent and… well, I love it. And it, makes me want to do things to you.”

He tried to lift his head to look at her, but she was keeping it hidden. “Things? Like things or _things_?”

“Oh definitely things, but I’d never say no to _things_ , either.”

“Do you want to do _things_ now?” he asked, breathlessly.

She nodded, still too shy to look at him, but Belle was inherently brave and if she couldn’t look at him yet, she could still reach down and touch him.

“Let me show you,” she whispered against his neck as her hand wrapped around him and began the long, tortuous strokes.

 

* * *

 

Belle had spent too much time away from work, depending on Ashley and her volunteers to keep the place running during her absence, but there was no way that arrangement could continue for much longer. She had to go in that morning at least for a few hours before Nick’s next doctor’s appointment.

Her office was a mess with mail stacked up on her desk, unopened boxes full of requisitions waiting to be entered into the library’s computer system. So much work and she didn’t have any idea of where to begin. Unpack the boxes, or unpack her email?

She looked around in dismay. The boxes first, she could take care of the correspondence during her break. If she even got one.

She had gone through three boxes stuffed with books before the sound of someone clearing their throat disturbed her. Startled, and with a heavy feeling in her stomach, Belle looked up to see the mayor standing in her doorway.

“Mayor Mills,” Belle said, a guilty smile on her face as she realized what the full extent of her absence might mean to anyone on the outside of Nick’s situation. “How may I help you?”

The mayor strode in with an uncomfortable look on her face. She glanced at the mail and the boxes full of books then at her own hands, giving a deep sigh before she squared her shoulders and looked Belle in the eyes. “It seems we need to talk, Miss French.”

The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach intensified and she nodded silently. There was only one way to get through this ordeal: bluff. “Of course, Madam Mayor, “ she said, smiling brightly and, she hoped, with the confidence she didn’t feel. “I can make some time now if you want, but I do have a ton of work to do so if you’d rather schedule an—”

“I’ve come to tell you that we have to let you go as head librarian,” Mayor Mills interrupted. She looked away, ashamed. “They wanted to send the sheriff, but I didn’t want you to have to go through that. I think you’d prefer to hear it from me personally.”

“The sheriff?” Belle asked, weakly. “Why would Graham have to be called in?”

“ _Belle_!” Regina said, holding a hand up to her forehead in exasperation. “I can’t even begin to tell you how many fireable actions you’ve taken. Unauthorized leave of absence, destruction of public property and that weird contraption on the side of your apartment that, frankly, looks like a death trap. What is that for anyway?”

Belle buried her face in her hands, trying to keep the tears back. Things had been going so well. She thought everything had been worked out and now this. “I needed to get Zoso upstairs somehow,” she muttered between her hands. “He couldn’t walk. And then Nick’s apartment was trashed and he can’t walk… I had Mr. Gepetto build it. It was only supposed to be temporary until we figured out where to live.”

“Belle,” Regina sighed, sitting down on a stack of unopened boxes. “Why didn’t you ask us for help? We have programs in place for these situations. Now it’s too late.”

“I don’t know. It all happened so fast. First the accident, then Zoso and Nick were hurt and Malcolm was there making everything worse and I just… I didn’t even have a chance to think, I just spent all my time reacting.” She was such an idiot. She should have reached out, but there had been no time. She put a hand to her stomach, feeling ill.

Regina shook her head. “I’m sorry, but the city council is adamant. They might have been able to forgive the sudden absences since it was an emergency and you’ve made sure to have people here at the library, but they won’t budge because of what you did to the apartment. They view it as a hazard. If someone got hurt from it then the city would be liable.”

“When you say the city council, you really mean just one person don’t you?” Belle asked.

Regina nodded. “George was all set on arresting you for destruction of property, but I managed to talk him out of it. Young couple, deeply in love, and tragedy strikes. It would look terrible if the city showed its gratefulness to officer Gold by jailing his wife.”

Belle laughed bitterly. “So… instead we’re being rendered homeless and unemployed. That’s barely an improvement.” Homeless! She never thought it would come to this. How would she take care of Nick now? Her throat felt tight from the effort of not screaming out. It wasn’t fair. She took a shuddering breath, holding up her hand as Regina moved to comfort her.

“Graham has also refused to change the locks on your apartment until after you get your belongings out. He was very upset when he heard about this. Threatened to quit,” she added, testily.

“No, that wouldn’t solve anything,” Belle said, absently. She was already tuning Regina out, already trying to formulate a plan, but so far, nothing was coming.

“George also wanted to take possession of the dog—”

“Zoso,” Belle reminded her, sharply.

“Zoso,” Regina said, nodding. “But Graham told me that he transferred ownership to you? Is that right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I own him,” Belle said, squaring her shoulders. Thank god she’d thought to have a receipt made. _At least I managed to do one thing right,_ she thought, though, right now, it was a small consolation. She dug in her purse until she found the crumpled up receipt, holding it out to Regina with a shaking hand.

It seemed to be enough though and Regina handed it back with a small smile.

“I’m glad you thought of that,” she said.

“Me, too,” Belle replied with a sniff.

“So… You have until the end of the week to vacate and um… Look, I don’t know the entire situation of course,” she gave Belle a look that clearly said, _because you haven’t told me_. “But we passed the hat down at City Hall and at the sheriff’s station and, um, things are really bad for you right now so please just take it.” She shoved a manila envelope with a tell tale bulge into Belle’s hands, then stood up abruptly, clearly uncomfortable.

Belle’s first instinct was to refuse, but now that she had no income and no savings, she told her pride to take a hike. “Thanks,” she muttered.

“I saw Nick and Zoso out front. He looks good. I mean, he looks taken care of. I think you’re doing a great job, Belle. I’m sorry that you’ve lost your job because of it.”

Another bitter laugh before she looked up at her former boss. “Regina, I love my job, but I love Nick more.”

Regina smiled, this time genuinely. “I think we all love Nick a little bit,” she confided. “And Zoso.” She strode to the door, but, before she left, she turned around once more. “Have you thought about the old pawn shop across the street?”

Belle looked up, confused. “The... what?”

“It’s wheelchair accessible and there’s a backroom for some privacy. And, I know for a fact that it’s zoned for partial residence.”

“What would we do with it though?” Belle asked.

Regina shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. But it’s something to consider. I’ll see you later, Belle. And let me know if you need anything. No more trying to shoulder everything yourself, got it?”

Belle nodded. “Got it.”

Belle waited until the click of Regina’s heels faded before breaking down.


	19. Chapter 19

Zoso’s giant satellite ears twitched and he scrambled to sit up, tail thumping madly against the wheelchair before Nick was able to turn around and see Belle striding towards them. Nick had taken off the cone that morning, declaring that he would be fine without it now that he was able to supervise him. He spent nearly an hour scratching Zoso on the neck to make up for having to wear that awful collar before he got down to the business of training him to open the door.

“Hey! Look what Zoso can do now,” he began before he got a good look at her tear-streaked face. She had been crying, he realized. Crying alone in her office while he was stuck out here in the reading area of the library trying to get his dog to perform a new trick. He quickly checked his phone to be sure he hadn’t missed a text or call, but nothing showed up, which meant that she had been in the back wallowing in pain and hadn’t thought to lean on him while she was in need. Shit.

“Belle,” he said softly, catching her wringing hands in his, bringing her down to his eye level. “Sweetheart, what happened?

She tried to speak, but nothing came out but a hiccuping sob as she shook her head.

He gently tugged at her wrists, wanting to bring her onto his lap for a hug, but she resisted him, pulling away in alarm. He let her go, dismayed that she still wouldn’t let him try to comfort her, but he didn’t want to force her to do something she was uncomfortable with.

She shook her head, looking down at her booties, then, with a muttered, “We have to go,” and before he could get another word out, she grabbed the handles of his chair and began to roll him towards the door. Zoso, popped up and trotted after them, his leash trailing behind before Nick could catch it.

“Wait, Belle,” he said, but she bumped her hip against the door and backed him out into the low winter sunlight. “Jesus, let me get Zoso’s leash first would you?” he called out, irritably and Belle paused long enough for him to grab the leather strap before she pushed guided him across the street.

“Belle, I can’t fix whatever is hurting you if you don’t talk to me. Please,” he begged, but it was like talking to, well, it was like talking to his father back when he was just a wee lad and had no control over his life. Malcolm just did what he wanted no matter how it affected Nick. They were up on the sidewalk now, heading towards the water.

“Stop it! Belle, stop!” He grabbed at the grip ring to stop the wheel from moving, but he still hadn’t bought the gloves he needed to protect his hands so they kept rolling, burning his palms a bit before he quickly let go. “Dammit, Belle! I’m not a baby in a stroller! You can’t just take me someplace without telling me where we’re going!” He reached for the handbrake, slapping around wildly until he found it then pulled up hard. The wheelchair stopped with a hard jerk to the right, but he didn’t and he caught himself before he toppled out.

That snapped Belle out of it. “Nick!” she cried out, running around to help him sit back up. “Oh, baby, are you hurt?” She put her chilled hands on his cheeks, forcing him look at her in the eye before she checked him over for injuries, and though he loved the feel of her hands on him, it just made him angrier that she was treating him like a child and not her husband.

He jerked his head away from her, angrily. “Dammit, Belle, I’m _fine_ ,” he said, and, finally, she noticed him, her blue eyes awash with unshed tears. “M’not a baby,” he told her, sullenly.

She blinked at him and a tear formed on her lower lashes. He watched it as it swelled up, fat and heavy, before it fell, unnoticed, on her cheek. He gripped the the armrest of his chair tightly, resisting the urge to wipe it away.

“No, you’re not a baby,” she said, thickly. “I’m sorry, I won’t call you that again. I thought you— I thought you liked it.”

“It’s not that. It’s taking me places without consulting me or telling me where we’re going. Just because I can’t walk doesn’t mean I can just be wheeled around like some… some child that won’t obey. Like my opinion doesn’t matter.”

She gasped. “Oh, Nick,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face against his neck. “I’m so sorry.”

He held her closely, rubbing her back and shoulders soothingly as he waited for her to look at him, but she just clung to him even more until he gave up and asked once more, “Tell me what the problem is, please. I want to help, but I can’t do that if you don’t tell me.”

She shuddered against him, then, after taking a deep breath told him everything that had happened in her office: losing her job and their apartment all in one day.

“Oh, fuck, Belle. I’m so sorry,” he whispered in her ear, holding her tighter while she composed herself. “Sweetheart, you’re a brilliant librarian, surely we can find a way to get you reinstated.”

She leaned back, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. Her makeup was washed off and streaked down her face, but to Nick, she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

“You think so?” she asked, warily.

“Are you kidding? I bet Ashley is starting a letter writing campaign as we speak.” He cupped her cheeks, bringing her face up so he could look her in the eyes. “I’ll build you a library. You can sleep in it or keep it open all night long or stock only bonnet romances if that’s what you want. We’re in a bind, right now, but we’re not desperate. I’ll have insurance coming in soon, plus my pension. That’s more than enough until we’re back working. We’ll be fine, Belle. Do you understand?”

“But—” she began, worry already clouding her eyes.

“No buts. I’ve talked to Dove this morning while you were in your office and he has a cabin that we can use until we find a place of our own.” He rubbed the pad of his thumb under the swell of her lip. “I wasn’t going to go back up that contraption if I could help it anyway,” he added with a half-smile.

She laughed brittle and harsh as she lay her head in his lap. “I’m sorry I pushed you against your will,” she said, digging her fingers into Zoso’s thick fur and finding a spot to scratch.

“You can take me anywhere, sweetheart. I just need you to talk to me.” He paused for a moment before he asked, “Where were we going anyway?”

“Pawn shop,” Belle mumbled.

He chuckled. “How much do you think you’d get for me?”

That got another laugh from her, this time a bit more light hearted. “It’s closed and you know it. Regina suggested we could use it. There’s an apartment in the back.”

“What you were just going to break in and take residence?”

She rolled her eyes at him then stood up, the wind whipping her hair around her face. “No, silly. I wanted to see what it looked like,” she said, brushing off her skirt. “I shouldn’t have—”

He grabbed her wrist again and this time she didn’t pull away. “Hey, none of that. It’s hard to think when everything’s piling up at once.”

Belle nodded, biting her lip in thought. “A cabin? Like, out in the woods?”

“Yeah. Dove said my wheelchair won’t be a problem and we’re welcome to rent it. You wanna go look at it after we look at the pawn shop?” he asked, staring up at her.

She nodded, a grin breaking through at last. “Let’s get out of the wind at least,” she said as she started wheeling him slowly up the sidewalk.

“Hey, Belle,” Nick began, unsure of how to broach the subject. “You know, I like it when  you call me baby, right? You don’t have to stop.” 


	20. Chapter 20

The drive up to the cabin was peaceful with snow dusted trees lining the road, forming a lacy canopy of bare branches overhead. In the summer, it would look like something out of Oz,  but in the wintertime, with the snow deeper in this part of the county, Belle was charmed — even if “cabin in the woods” sounded creepy no matter how you spun it. She kept the radio on low until they lost the signal completely and she snapped it off once there was more static than music.

“It should be up on the left,” Nick said, looking up from  the directions written on the back of a flyer from the library to peer out the window.  “Yeah, I see it. Just right there.”

He pointed at an opening in the treeline and, craning her neck, Belle could just make out the tip of a roof way back among the bushes. She slowly pulled onto a long, gravel driveway, watching as a smallish log cabin straight out of Little House on the Prairie came into view and she smiled at its charming facade, feeling that she could like this place. 

“It’s so cute,” she said after staring at it for a bit. There was a low porch and a long, shallow ramp leading up to it and another shorter wedge that led to the door. Nick would have no difficulty getting in or out of the house without help. There were snowdrifts up to the windowsills on the north side, but it wasn’t so bad around the rest of the house — nothing that would bog him down at least. 

“Shall we go in?” she said, opening her door, letting Zoso out in a bound. The dog sniffed eagerly around the porch railing before barking excitedly at something in a tree and running off to the back. “Zoso, nooooooooo….. shoot there he goes.”

“He’s fine,” Nick called out from the car. “He'll circle around and pee on everything then come back to the front when he’s finished exploring. I wish I could join him."

“You wanna pee on a bush?” Belle teased as she yanked his wheelchair out of the trunk with a grunt.She popped it open and settled the cushion in place before helping Nick slide onto it, holding onto his arm for balance until he settled in.

“Actually… yeah,” he said quietly with a soft laugh. “As dumb as it seems, it would be nice just to take a walk out into the woods and take a piss without being propped up.”

Belle’s hands stilled on the grips as he spoke, grateful that he didn’t turn up to look at her because she didn’t think she could mask her sadness at his absurd wish. How strange and sad that something as ridiculous as peeing would make her fret for her husband, but the loss of mobility wasn’t something Nick had gotten used to yet — perhaps he never would — and of course he would miss the freedom of simply going where he wanted, when he wanted, without any help. _He must be feeling like baby_ , she thought and her behavior at the library hit her like a ton of bricks. She had been treating him like a baby, she realized, sniffling quietly.

She quickly rubbed her nose with the sleeve of her coat, not wanting Nick to worry about her when he was the one who was hurting, then distracted herself with the way the wind blew Nick’s hair in the breeze. It had grown a little longer since his accident — he had already been due for a haircut when it had happened and now it almost touched the top of his cute elfin ears. She smiled down at him, wondering if he was going to let his hair grow out now that he was off the police force or if he would keep the buzz cut a little longer. She liked him either way.

He jerked his head back to look up at her, a silent question in his eyes, and Belle remembered that they were standing out in the freezing cold when they could be inside next to a warm fire.

"How long did Dove say we can stay?" she asked, pushing him up the ramp.

"As long as we need it. Shouldn't be too long unless you like living in the middle of nowhere. I talked to the union and it won’t be much longer until I begin to receive my pension benefits."

"Living in the middle of nowhere has its advantages," she said with a poke to his shoulder. "A little quiet sounds great right now."

"There's no internet," he mentioned.

"I... can live with that," she said uncertainly.

"We may be snowed in. It gets a lot colder here than it does by the coast."

She smiled at him, biting her lower lip as she contemplated the prospect. “That I can definitely deal with. We can keep each other warm,” she said with a cheeky smirk while she unlocked the door with the key he dug out of his pocket, nudging it open with her hip when the door stuck a bit on the threshold.

"You may hate me after a month," he warned.

"I promise you that's impossible." She leaned down to kiss him softly on the lips. Now that they were married, she marveled at the fact that she could do this any time she wanted.

The door was wide enough for Nick's chair and he waved off Belle's help, patting his lap with his hands inviting her to sit down with an eager look.

"I can't carry you traditionally, but I can at least give you a ride."

She tilted her head, smiling softly at him. "You'll let me know if I'm too heavy? If I squish your leg too much?"

He snorted at her, holding his arms out for her. "You weigh nothing and I’ve had you on my lap before. Now sit down so I can roll you over the threshold."

She settled on his lap, gingerly at first, then lifted her feet up, placing them on the unused footrest so they wouldn't get in the way, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're a romantic," she said accusingly as she snuggled in.

"That's true," he said, concentrating on getting them both inside without scraping his knuckles on the door jamb. "But I have an ulterior motive," he said in a low voice in her ear.

"Mmm?" she murmured against his neck. "What's that?"

"You have a great ass and I want it on top of me."

Belle sputtered, sitting back to look at him, but by then they were already inside the cabin and she got her first real look at the place. It was small, but open with gleaming wooden floors and a wide open kitchen complete with a low counter and appliances and gleaming copper pots nestled in stacks on open shelves next to the stove. A small dining table sat in front of the front window with a bouquet of pink roses in a small, earthenware vase placed in the center and a card propped up next to it. The living room was furnished with a small, squashy couch and a woven basket filled with fluffy blankets sat next to a large armchair. There was a fireplace which was already lit, warming the cozy home and a door leading towards the bedroom.

It was a sweet little home, but what caught Belle’s attention was the banner strung up on the fireplace mantle reading “Congratulations!” in gaudy metallic green, silver, and red letters and white, accordion-pleated paper bells hanging on either side while white crepe paper streamers were draped and tacked up on the antique wooden beams along the ceiling. A silver bucket was placed on the coffee table with a bottle of sparkling cider inside with a large mylar balloon tied to its neck, vying for air space with the streamers. Two flutes were placed next to it and it seemed to Belle that everything glowed with a warm, soft light.

“You planned all this?” she asked, pulling back to look at Nick, awed and pleased and oddly touched at the thoughtfulness, unable to hide her sniffles this time.

“I did,” he said, clearly pleased with her reaction. “Dove prepared the cabin. The fridge should be stocked and we didn’t have a lot of time to find anything more than generic decorations, but mmmmffff—”

Belle cut him off with a kiss, grabbing his ears and pulling him in until she swallowed up whatever it was he was going to say. She didn’t care if there were dollar store decorations draped across everything in sight or that their honeymoon would be overshadowed by her loss of a job and his loss of a limb. That he’d thought ahead and planned everything for her was what mattered.

He immediately dove in, holding her close to him as if he was afraid she would disappear on him if he let go. The door was standing open wide, letting a draft of freezing air in, and Zoso came in, nosed the door closed without difficulty then shook the snow off his fur before coming up to put his cold, wet nose in Belle’s lap, startling her out of her Nick-induced trance. She turned her head to the side, nuzzling her nose in his hair, allowing him access to her neck.

“I should get the luggage…” she said, trailing off as he mouthed at that notch  between her collarbones.

“No, stay here,” he murmured, tightening his grip on her.

“Not leaving,” she said. “I just… I have a—a thing to wear…”

He hooked a finger in her shirt to expose part of her shoulder and attacked it with his teeth and tongue, the scruff on his face prickling against her heated flesh. “Thing?”

“Lace and—” she gasped as he bit down then laved at the spot with his tongue. “Um… straps that went — oh god, that feels so nice.”

“Later,” he mumbled into her shoulder, rubbing his stubbly chin on it until she squirmed in his lap.

“... with a bow on the… mmmmmm, later, okay,” she conceded, opening her mouth to him at last, biting down on his lower lip in punishment before sucking it into her mouth gently, plucking at the spot with her lips until he was moaning into her mouth.

They found the bedroom with a little extra bumping into walls than necessary, but a few bruised knuckles and a banged knee were acceptable prices to pay to find a large bed with a fluffy comforter waiting for them with more pillows piled on top than was reasonable.

She got up, flinging them off the bed, one by one, then stripped off her coat, tossing it after the pillows. Nick looked up at her, strained and pleading for her to come back to him so she sat back in his lap and his outstretched arms, bringing her mouth to his and letting him run his rough fingers over her until she was shaking and impatient and making small noises in the back of her throat.

She pulled away, at last, and, pushing him back with gentle hands, unbuttoning Nick’s shirt with shaky fingers, exposing his too thin chest and the angry red scars that were scattered about his skin. They were healing fast and she kissed the one closest to her mouth — the one just underneath the hollow of his shoulder. His skin was soft and hot and she dragged her lips across it until she reached his neck.

“Do you always have to wear so many layers?” he moaned at the sight of the cardigan and thin shirt and the camisole she had on underneath.

“It’s winter,” she said by way of explanation, bringing his hands up to the tiny pearl buttons that fastened her shirt. “You’re supposed to dress in layers.”

His mouth hung open adorably and, with a look of total concentration, he slipped each button through its hole, the flimsy material wrinkling under his strong hands and, when he came to the bottom, he looked up at her helplessly as she shrugged out of it, dragging her camisole off in a haste to expose her pert breasts to his gaze.

“Do you need your medication,” she asked, suddenly aware that it had been awhile since his last dose, but he shook his head adamantly.

“No. If I take pain killers I won’t be able to—” he panted, dragging his eyes up from her breasts to her face with a blush. “I won’t be able to please you,” he said, silently pleading with her with his eyes.

Understanding dawned and she was still torn whether or not to insist on him taking them anyway, his comfort being more important than their sex life, but the sheer desire in his face stopped the words from even forming. Nick knew his limits, she realized. He knew them and he would tell her when it became too much and she settled back down on his lap, aware of how much her willingness meant to him when she scooted closer and came into contact with his erection.

Sitting in his lap had many advantages, one of which, was her nipples were already within reach of his mouth and she arched her back as he pulled her closer so he could suck at them, groaning as he ran his tongue across the hardened tips.

She scratched his scalp with her nails as he sucked and pulled at her, nipping at her sensitive flesh his teeth while she gasped for air.

The bed sat low to the ground and all Nick had to do was scoot onto it from the wheelchair, his arms reaching for her the second he was safely on the bed, but she was already shimmying out of her skirt, pulling her tights and underwear off with it, kicking them aside as she crawled up onto the bed with him. She helped him lay down after a short struggle with him as to who was taking charge, but there was no question in her mind that he was staying firmly on the bottom until his leg healed enough to take any sort of weight and, besides, she liked being on top.

“Stop fussing,” he said with a short whine of protest, but her hands were already on his belt then inside his jeans and then he lost all coherence when she wrapped her tiny hand around him.

She was kneeling, spread out next to him, careless of where his eyes may roam for he’d already seen her and she knew that she was safe with him, there was nothing about her that was lacking in his eyes and the look of amazement that he had on his face as he beheld her was more than enough to give her the confidence to carefully hook a leg over his shoulder and bend over him until she could comfortably reach his jutting cock.

He made another pathetic sound as she widened her knees and lowered herself, but he eagerly reached up with trembling hands, smoothing them over her hips and bringing her  down onto his waiting mouth where he licked at her with more enthusiasm than skill until he found a rhythm that worked for both of them. Gasping hoarsely, Belle closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his tongue flicking through her folds for a moment before she remembered that he was left hard and aching in front of her. She opened her mouth and took him in, the angle allowing her to take more than she was used to. Her low moans from his attentions reverberated through him and he writhed beneath her, catching her clit with his teeth and tongue, trying to drink her down.

He pulled away, heaving against her. “Belle, Please! M’not gonna be able to stop,” he pleaded with her and, reluctantly she stopped, letting out of her mouth with a pop.

She got off him, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as she looked at her husband try to regain his self-control. He was glorious and wrecked, gazing up at her with his heavy-lidded eyes glazed over with a craving she felt deep in her bones.

She straddled him again when he stretched his arms out for her, positioning herself over his cock until he stopped her with gentle hands on her waist and a panicked look.

“Condom?” he croaked, his voice gravelly and barely able to speak, and Belle could tell he was very reluctant to stop her, but the fact that he was willing to if it was unsafe made that fire within her burn even hotter and she shook her head at him.

“I’ve been getting shots every few months,” she told him. “We’re good.”

“Bare?” he asked in awe, and her answer was to take him in her hand, his cock still slippery with her saliva, and hold him steady while she slid down on him, her eyes on his face as he gasped and struggled to keep from coming then and there.

“Are you okay,” she whispered, leaning over to hold him close to her. “Does your leg hurt?”

He shook his head quickly. “No,” he panted. “The pain’s good. Keeps me from coming. Oh fuck, Belle,” he moaned, pushing up at her with his hips, holding her down on him, his hands clenching at her thighs.

“Should we stop,” she asked, pulling back, ready to get off before they did any more damage to his leg.

“No!” he cried out, clutching at her desperately. “God, no! It’s good. Don’t-don’t leave me.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” she told him, stroking his cheek with her hand, leaning down to drink in his cries as she rocked her hips against his. “M’m right here with you,” she murmured against his lips before sitting up, rocking against him as her insides quivered around him. He was hard and insistent inside her, and, everytime she moved in a certain way, he would hit a part of her that sent lighting-hot shafts darting through her veins until they settled deep in her belly where they coiled, tight and nearly painful with its insistent pull, desire taking over every thought until the only thing in the entire world was Nick. She felt lost in the sensation of him inside her and the way he looked at her in devotion.

He reached up with a shaking hand to cup her cheek lovingly and tears sprang to her eyes as he mouthed a silent “I love you” until that red-hot coil inside her burst and she was falling over the edge and bringing him with her.  She cried out in a long, broken moan as she collapsed on top of Nick, his arms wrapping around her, holding her safe within his arms until she came down from her bliss-induced stupor to his random kiss along her face, her shoulders, her hair — where ever he could reach.

“I’m not going anywhere either, Belle,” he whispered.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anonymous asked:
> 
> The Partner!Gold/Belle: How are things going? Have you found a new place to live yet? Is there a chance for Belle to get her job back? Who is that George on the City Council that doesn't like Belle? Zoso, would you like a cookie? You are a good boy.

As cozy as the cabin was, the lack of internet was a disadvantage when two people were both job hunting and apartment searching, which is why Nick found himself right back in the library in front of a clunky computer monitor while Belle patiently signed him up for an account. He could do it himself, but the computers were wonky and she knew their quirks almost as well as she knew his own. With Zoso sitting on one side and Belle on the other, he took a deep breath and forged ahead.

The job site showed nothing but endless ads for part-time work and he scrolled through, bewildered at how his life had suddenly turned upside down. All he knew was being a police officer. It had been his dream since he was a lad and now, as he stared blankly at the listings for part time retail work, he felt a wave of depression wash over him. He couldn’t work now. In a few months, sure, but now, he was out — unless he could find some sort of desk job that would accommodate his wheelchair and frequent doctor appointments.

Nick’s eyes flicked to the window and the old pawn shop across the street. He didn’t like the idea of being indoors all day. He’d always prefered being out and active. The idea of being stuck behind a counter all day trying to make figures add up repulsed him, but, if he had to do that, then why not for a business he owned himself with Belle?

He glanced over to his wife who was on the computer next to him slowly filling out the unemployment forms on the state government’s unhelpful website. Tears swam in her eyes as she methodically filled out each line, pausing when she reached the space to write in her address to fish out a slip of paper from her pocket where she’s written down the address for the cabin. Nick hated the frown on her face. She shouldn’t have been fired from her job, he thought angrily. It wasn’t right that she’d been dismissed without warning. She’d taken time off, yes, but she didn’t leave the library in the lurch. Ashley had things in hand, nothing had burned down. It wasn’t fair.

He took her hand in his and squeezed it tightly, offering her a small smile when she looked up at him, her blue eyes shining with tears.

“I love you,” he whispered, leaning over in his chair.

Her answering smile was wobbly, but genuine and she leaned over to brush a kiss against his lips. When she leaned back the tears were gone and her eyes were shimmering with something else.

“Get to work, you bum,” she whispered back, a cheeky smile quirking on her pink lips.

“I was just thinking,” he said, then cleared his throat when his voice broke. “How much do you know about antiques?”

Her eyebrows lifted and she looked out the window towards the shop. “Nothing. But we could learn?” She turned back to him in excitement.

He nodded his head, fascinated at the way her eyes sparkled at this new challenge. “We could learn”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous said: Partner!Verse: They watch an Antiques Roadshow marathon to learn more about the trade but quickly become interested in other things...

 

They settled themselves on the couch, completely exhausted from just getting Nick in and out of the cabin, the car, the library, Granny’s, and back home again. Nick knew it would get easier, more routine as time wore on, but the feeling of uselessness that had settled uneasily in his stomach ever since he’d woken up had increased every time he had to ask for help to perform even the most basic things. He felt his dignity slip every time Belle helped him in the bathroom, even if it was just to make sure he didn’t fall when he swung himself in and out of his chair. It chafed against his sense of self worth. Belle didn’t seem to mind, but Belle would just say that they were getting the “in sickness and in health” part of their vows out of the way first before the real fun began. Nick didn’t know if real fun was in store for them.

Now, with his medication running through his system he was feeling a bit like he was sitting just outside his body and any movement he made took a distinct effort on his part to make it happen. Any time Belle spoke to him, it sounded as if it was filtered through molasses-soaked cotton balls stuffed in his ears and, once he processed what she’d said, it took him another moment to formulate a reply. It was only due to Belle’s infinite patience that he was able to function at all when his meds kicked in. It was only a matter of time until he would have to be tucked into bed. Like a child.

He sat on the couch wedged between Belle and Zoso, his fingers buried in his dog’s thick fur while Belle skimmed one of the library books they’d brought back with them. He didn’t feel as if he’d gotten anything done. Filled out a few applications, researched business licenses and what they would need to operate a store, and then lunch before they came back home. He’d meant to look for apartments, but he got tired fast than they anticipated so they had decided to go home and try again tomorrow.

“D’ya wanna watch one of the videos?” Belle asked, quietly, referring to some old Antiques Roadshow DVDs they’d found in the media section of the library. “Couldn’t hurt.”

“Mmm. Yeah,” he replied absently. He doubted that a silly, staged TV show might teach them anything about antiques, but the silence of the cabin punctuated by the turning of pages every few minutes was weighing down on him. He sat up straighter, feigning interest, but his head flopped back onto the couch, giving him away. He smiled, a goofy, toothy smile that he hoped looked more “charming” than “stoned”.

Belle eyed him suspiciously, not fooled for one second. “We don’t have to,” she said even as she popped the disc in the tray.

“No, if we’re gonna do this, let’s look at it from every angle we can. We might learn something interesting. I mean, I’m too fucking stoned to learn anything, but you’ll tell me if something’s good, right?”

She watched him for a second, the remote in her hand poised to strike before she decided not to pursue the matter with a sympathetic smile of her own. She turned the TV on and plopped back down on the couch squeezed in between Nick and a pile of books. “At the very least you might like the pretty colors,” she teased, wiggling her way back into her spot.

Fifteen minutes later, Nick’s head was on her shoulder and his eyes were drooping, whether from boredom or his meds, he didn’t know. The excitement of the people shrieking when they’ve found out that Great Aunt Bertha’s old needle case was worth more than a few dollars confused him. What did it matter really if the needle case was worth money? It was valuable because it belonged to their great aunt, who sewed with those rusty, old needles every day of her long life.

What a load of crap, he thought, snuggling his face deeper into Belle’s hair, trying to stay awake even as she held his cheek with one hand, rubbing her fingers against the scruff on his cheek. Much in the same way he was petting Zoso, he realized with his eyes widening in dismay. The thought that he should sit up occurred to him, but he didn’t want to. He liked it when Belle touched him. Why move? He snuggled in closer, the sound of the presenter’s voice mere white noise at this point.

The three of them stayed curled up together until Belle shifted in her seat. Nick opened his eyes blearily to find a book open on her lap and another one on top of it, with her thumb stuck inside to hold her place while she looked up at the TV, her lips bitten to keep the smirk at bay.

“T’so funny?” he asked, feeling better after his short nap. The world didn’t seem to be quite so out of sorts anymore and it didn’t take an entire four seconds to get his tongue to form words.

“The, uh, antique,” she said, pointing to the television.

Nick turned his head on her shoulder to watch.

“And what do you have?” the antiquities authority asked the hopeful couple holding what looked like an old microphone with a long, cloth-covered cord coming out of the handle.

“We don’t know,” the man said. “We found it in Grandma’s attic—”

Belle snickered, muttering a hearty, “Go, Granny,” under her breath.

Nick sat up, stretching his back until several vertebrae popped then slumped back down against the back of the couch. “What’s the deal?”

She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes, her lips pressed together as if holding in a delightful secret. “It’s a vibrator,” she finally told him in a hushed, delighted voice.

Nick didn’t understand why she was whispering. They were the only ones in the house and Zoso wouldn’t be scandalized by an old woman’s personal device. He glanced at the TV for a second. “How do you know?” he whispered back.

She rolled her eyes, but a soft blush spread across her cheeks. “The design hasn’t really changed much over the decades. At least not for the plug-in kind.”

Nick stared at the freckle on the underside of her chin for a moment half wondering if she even knew it was there and half trying to process what she had just told him. Then it clicked and he couldn’t hold back the smile that spread across his face.

“Belle,” he asked, trying to convey seriousness even though he was grinning like a crocodile. “Do you have one of those?”

“No,” she retorted, inserting a bookmark into the top book before setting it aside with the others.

He closed his eyes, nodding along to her answer, before lowering his head back to her shoulder again.

“I have four,” she finished.

Nick’s head popped up again, his brain suddenly on alert. “What could you possibly need four for? Four... for. Four for?” His mouth, once it got started couldn’t seem to stop.

Belle smirked at him even though she was a delicious shade of pink now. “A girl has needs, Nick.”

He could understand that, but, “ _Four_ of them though?”

Belle shook her head helplessly before blurting out, “I have a nice plug in one that does the job _really_ well, a vibrating dildo, and two bullets.” She bit her lips, clearly enjoying the look on his face even if she was thoroughly flustered herself. She cleared her throat, self-consciously, looking down at her hands. He could have sworn she snickered a bit.

Nick understood half of it, mainly zeroing on two things. One, that Belle owned vibrators and two, “Bullets?”

She sighed in patient resignation. “They’re smaller, battery operated, you know? No bigger than your finger,” she said holding up her pinkie to demonstrate. “You can keep them in your purse. And they’re quiet so no one at work will find out.”

“ _What_? At _work_?” He wished he wasn’t on his meds now because he knew his brain was skipping over vital information and fixating on the things that didn’t matter. He knew for a fact that if he pulled over into some parking lot during a patrol and jerked off, he’d have been arrested for public indecency. Probably by Zoso. But, fuck, it was hot when Belle did it he was sure of it.

“In my office. After hours, door locked, and usually after you’ve been in the park with Zoso,” she confessed, her blush deepening into a wonderful shade of red.

“Usually?”

“Sometimes you come in to say hi,” she breathed.

On the television, the antiques expert was droning on about the history of electronic massagers to the increasingly mortified owners of the device. It was easy to tune out, but Nick suspected that he’d never hear the Antiques Roadshow theme again without getting horribly turned on.

He blinked. It must have lasted for at least six seconds because when he opened his eyes again Belle was looking at him, half amused and half embarrassed at the turn of their conversation. She’d turned to face him, her back snug against the corner of the couch and her legs tucked up under her. He didn’t even feel her move.

“You do that?”

She nodded her head. “Mmhmm.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head some more. Her eyes traveled over his face. “What, ah, what about you?”

“Not in the squad car!” he blustered sending a Belle into a frenzy of nervous giggles. “But, yeah. I mean, I may have had some fantasies.”

The giggles dried up as he caught Belle’s attention. “Fantasies? Like what kind?”

It was his turn to squirm uncomfortably. “Uh, there’s this one where I have an overdue book—”

She tsked at him, her mock disappointment clearly displayed. “The naughty librarian? Really? Everyone has those.”

Nick heard the unspoken challenge and willed his brain and mouth to cooperate. “Yeah, there’s… there’s one where you're up on a ladder.”

“Why would I be on a ladder?” she asked, her forehead wrinkled in confusion.

“You're reshelving,” he told her, seriously and Belle started snickering once more until Nick wondered if she’d snuck one of his pills. “And you're wearing that tiny lace skirt. The bluey one, you know?”

Her eyebrows raised up, impressed. “You noticed?”

“Belle, everyone notices when you wear that skirt.”

She smiled brightly at him, waving her hand in a circle to continue.

“You're up on the ladder, stretching up to reach the-the spot, but you're fucking short so you go up on your tiptoes and the ladder starts to go over, yeah?”

She nodded her head, her smile now a sweet ghost of its former self.

“But I'm there, see? And I catch you from falling.”

“My hero,” she murmured.

“But I keep you up on the ladder, facing the shelves. Put my hands on your hips and-and keep you there.”

“I don't get to see your face?” she interrupted, a slight whine to her voice.

“Why’d you want to see that?” he asked, scrunching his face.

“I like your face,” she said, prodding at his thigh with her toe. “Go on, go on. I find this really interesting.”

He doubted that, but he gamely complied. “And your ass is right in front of my face—” He held up his hands, fingers curled up as if he was catching a ball.

“Your _gorgeous_ face,” she said, interrupting him again without apology.

“Sure. Your gorgeous _ass_ in that fucking _skirt_ —”

“No pants I suppose?”

“‘Course not! Pants don't exist in fantasies. Anyway, you're leaning forward and the skirt lifts up just a bit, just enough to let that sweet swell of your arse peek out.” He suddenly remembered that he was speaking out loud. “Um… Is this-is this alright?” he asked, swallowing.

That naughty smile was back, the one she gave him the other night when she’d turned their world upside down. “It’s very alright, Mr. Gold. Tell me what happens next.”

“Um… well,  basically I bury my face in your ass and eat you out.”

“My ass?” she asked, gaping at him, her lips twitching in amusement.

“No! Well, yeah actually, a little, but I mean your—” Nick broke off abruptly, not having thought this through. Shit, could he say ‘cunt’? Vulva was too… wassit... Clinical! _What word_ , he thought frantically, searching for a way to keep her from offended, though at this point it may be a lost cause. “Pussy,” he decided on finally, looking over at her with an embarrassed half-smile. “I’d lick your, uh, your pussy,” he finished, his voice cracking in a harsh whisper.

Belle’s eyes, normally a brilliant light blue he’d once seen during a short jaunt to Jamaica, had turned a smokey dark shade, the same deep color of the wild blueberries that grew out in the forest that surrounded the cabin. It jolted a series of distinct memories in him. Of his many visits with Belle at the library, thinking of any excuse to pop in to see her. He’d thought it had been the lighting in the library that caused her eyes to change color to such a deep blue and used to wish that the town would spring for better light bulbs. Now, he thought it was a miracle. Had Belle been turned on in front of him and he’d failed to notice it? Probably. He was such an idiot. He was a cop, he _knew_ what blown pupils looked like, he’d just failed to recognize it in Belle.

“So, let me get this straight,” she said slowly, her mouth twisting as she fought off a smile. “Your fantasy, where _anything_ could happen even if it’s physically impossible. Like, naked, skydiving sex where the parachutes are attached to butt plugs. Or you’ve suddenly grown two dicks and double-tap me—”

His eyes bulged. “Wha-?”

She held up a finger to silence him, giving him her stern librarian look. “ _Anything_ in the world and you’ve got me trapped on a ladder and you’re _eating me out_? That’s something you think about?”

“Well, it seemed the least perverted to come to mind, but I can see I didn’t need to worry about that. But, uh, yeah, I do think about it. A lot, actually.”

Again with that naughty smile of hers. She was going to kill him with that smile, he was certain of it he thought as he felt himself stir in his jeans. He was definitely interested, but the fucking drugs in his system was working against him tonight. Shit. He stared down at himself, willing for cooperation, but it seemed that his lower half was being, well, it was being a dick. Shit!

He must have been saying it out loud, mumbling to himself or something because a soft hand touched his arm.

“Nick,” Belle said, concerned.

“I don’t think I can do anything tonight, Belle. Shit. I’m sorry.”

“Shhh. Nick, it’s okay. I’m not asking you to do anything tonight.”

“But your eyes are blueberries,” he said.

“I’m not following”

“Not like the light seablue they usually are, but dark and smoky and blown out. Blueberries. I’d’ve given you a breatha-mnnnn… a drunk test if I was still a cop and I pulled you over and you had eyes like that.”

“You think I’m high,” she gasped, tittering at him behind her hand.

“I think you’re horny.”

She ducked her head, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter. “Well, maybe. A bit. But you’re sitting there completely stupid on drugs right now and you’re telling me things.”

“The fantasy? Thas just- that’s not even a good one.”

“It’s a really good one, but that’s not what I meant.”

“Okay?”

“What blouse do I wear with the bluey lace skirt?”

“You got, ah... There’s the white one that you can see right through, and you have this frothy one that has lace bits on it and you have a-a sweater thing you wear when it’s chilly.”

She bit her lip, sucking it in until Nick was worried it would never see the light of day again. He reached up and gently pulled it out, smoothing the soft flesh with the pad of his thumb. Wide-eyed and breathless, she watched him bring his thumb back to his own mouth to give it a kiss where it had touched her lips. A kiss by proxy, one of his aunts used to call it when he was a boy.

“Yeah, you don’t have to do much to turn me on,” she whispered hoarsely.

He looked down towards his uncooperative penis, groaning out, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“What!”

His head whipped up, his eyes searching for hers in a panic. “No, not you, you’re perfect.” He pointed to his crotch. “That.”

Her mouth formed a tiny “O”. “Oh. Oh, honey, no. You’re so drugged up right now it’s a miracle you can sit upright.”

“Could do it yesterday,” he mumbled, despondently.

She brushed her fingers through his hair, scratching at his scalp with her fingernails in a way that made him groan in pleasure. She pulled at the strands lightly reminding him that he needed to get it cut, but then he remembered that he was no longer a cop and he didn’t have to keep it short if he didn’t want to. Didn’t have to shave either. Could go be a hippie in a van if that suited him. Which it didn’t. Belle wouldn’t like living in a van.

The sound of Belle’s voice brought him back to the issue at hand.

“And you did it very well, Nick, trust me. But, that was yesterday. And you hadn’t had your meds yet. And, well, we were a bit keyed up.”

He sunk down, covering his face with his hands in humiliation. “I’m keyed up now, it’s just not working.”

She took his hands away, leaning over to look him in the eyes. “It’s not forever. It’s just today, right now.”

“But you’re all…” He touched her shoulder, stroking the soft fuzzy sweater she had on, wishing it was her skin. “I want to make love to you,” he said, looking up at her, pleading for her to understand.

A pleased sort of smile lifted the corners of her lips and she leaned forward to press them against his. She pulled back, blinking her eyes slowly. “Did I ever tell you I’m a big fan of morning sex?”

“You’re right,” he said, firmly, scooting forward to the edge of the couch. “I’m being an idiot. We should go to bed, morning comes quicker that way.”

Another shy laugh, another bashful shake of her head, but she stood up anyway and got his wheelchair. “That’s actually a good idea though.”

“Brilliant idea! Worked when I was a kid on Christmas Eve.”

“Your dad did Christmas?”

“My aunties did. ‘The sooner you go to bed, the sooner it’ll be Christmas,’” he said, pitching his voice into a crackling falsetto. “Worked every year.”

“Your aunties sound adorably persuasive,” she told him with smirk as she locked the wheels

“They were the best,” he told her with a rueful look. “Always planned on using it on my kids someday.”

He nudged Zoso, who opened one eye to stare at them before standing up on the couch and gave two big, head shaking sneezes. He hopped down and stretched then padded to the bedroom where his crate was. Nick fully expected him to be back on the couch sometime in the middle of the night, but he liked to be near his people for the most part. Nick was glad of it. Zoso’s presence was a welcome comfort, but he didn’t like the idea of his dog watching while he made love to Belle.

Some things were private.

Zoso taken care of, Nick grabbed the arms of the wheelchair and hoisted himself up onto his leg. It was a precarious balance, but he had gotten the hang of it by now. He paused until the throbbing in his stump subsided a bit as it did whenever he changed positions — thankful that the medications that he’d just been cursing was actually working to alleviate the real pain — before he hopped into the seat. He looked up at Belle, usually she was there to support him at this point, but she hung back at the handlebars, a dazed look on her face.

Just as well, he thought. He’d have to do this on his own eventually. He twisted around and plopped his butt on the padded cushion, scooting back until he was firmly seated.

He looked up and up and up until his head rested against the back and he was looking at Belle upside down. He could see up her nose. “You okay?” he asked, waiting for her to snap out of whatever it was she was thinking about.

“We never really talked about kids,” she said, quietly.

“We barely talked about marriage,” he reminded her, twisting around to get a better look at her. She was wringing her fingers together, nervously. “And we don’t have to talk about kids now. We don’t have to have kids. Or we can give the Duggars a run for their money. It’d be fun trying,” he said.

She sputtered a laugh then, grabbing the handles and pushing him towards the bedroom.  “Oh, god, you are going to regret this in the morning. You have no idea what you’re saying do you?”

“Uh-uh. I plan on very much enjoying myself in the morning,” he countered, turning back around to help her guide the chair through the doorway. He could have done it all himself, but he liked the way she leaned against the chair. Her breasts were at just the right height and, if he wanted, he could rest his head in them. _Thank god for short wives_ , he thought, leaning his head back to nuzzle her.  

“Ow! Hey!” she cried out, pushing his head away, her mouth hanging open as she rubbed the spot he’d just headbutted.

He sat up, mortified. “Oh god! I’m so sorry! I thought I was being gentle.”

“Your head is like granite.” She shook her head at him, pushing the chair the rest of the way into the bedroom. Nick flicked the light on as they went through. “You need sleep. And tomorrow we’ll talk to Dr. Whale about adjusting your medication. This is not normal for you.”

He sighed heavily. “You’re right. Tonight’s weird and I’m being an ass.”

Belle wheeled him to the bed and set the brakes, irritation and amusement clearly at war on her face. “There. Lemme get changed and then I’ll help you get ready,” she said, moving toward her suitcase.

He put his chin on his hand, his elbow on the armrest. “On the whole, this isn’t the _least_ successful time I wanted to have sex and failed.”

She put her face in her hands and groaned. “Now is _not_ the time to bring up ex-girlfriends, Nick, I swear to god—”

Nick waited until she had her camisole pulled halfway over her head then, “Did I ever tell you about the time when I was fourteen and I tried to suck my own dick?”

She turned on him, her arms tangled up in the straps of her top. “No!” She struggled out of it, tossing it to the side in exasperation. She pointed her finger at him, her face screwed up as she tried not to laugh, stammering, “No! You can’t tell me anything until I get something to record it with. I want proof tonight happened when you deny it.”

He snickered. “Fell out of bed and broke my wrist.”

“Nick! Stop!” she gasped, covering her face with her hands once more to muffle her scream. She peeked at him through her fingers and dropped her hands to her hips. “Done now?”

He grinned up at her. “It was my wanking hand, too. Had to learn how to jerk off left-handed.”

“I’m going to smother you in your sleep if you don’t shut up right now,” she said, her face a glorious red that made Nick’s heart swell with pride.

“I’m sorry,” he said in false contriteness. “I’ll behave now.”

She stared at him warily, waiting for him to add to the pile of ridiculous statements. Nick watched her watch him and felt marginally better about the night. Well, who wouldn’t enjoy a strip show given by the most beautiful, irritated woman in the world. Even if it was done in short, jerky movements and she stopped after a clothing item was shed to point her finger at him, an eyebrow raised and her mouth pursed, giving him an angry librarian impression every time he opened his mouth.

At last they were both changed and under the covers, Nick’s stump propped up on a pillow and Belle’s head comfortably resting on his shoulder. With Belle’s soft body next to his and the scent of her hair in his nose, he could feel sleep just a few breaths away. He turned his head to kiss her softly, the press of her lips on his making everything worthwhile.

“Did you really break your wrist falling out of bed after trying to suck your own dick,” she asked, staring at him with shining eyes.

He turned his head away to stare at the ceiling. “No,” he answered, quietly, circling his wrist with his other hand, feeling how the bone had a slight bump from where it had healed long ago. He was five when Malcolm had broken it in a fit of anger. 

“That’s not how I broke my wrist.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Partner prompt: Their friends give them a wedding gift.

The drive back into town was enough to shatter Belle’s nerves completely. The snow was melting and the back roads had turned into a bumpy, dangerous mush that threatened to slurp the tires right off her tiny car and jostled Nick’s leg until he was white-lipped and tense beside her, but she was too scared of sinking into the muck to try to turn around. She felt that she had to move forwards and at speed to keep from getting irrevocably stuck for the next week and a half.

She didn’t even want to think of the drive back to the cabin when they had finished their business in town. It would be dark by the time they reached the turn off. Maybe they could get a room at Granny’s. Except there wasn’t anything on the ground floor. She glanced at her husband, her forehead creased in what felt like a permanent frown.

“I’m sorry,” she said for the tenth time, her hands keeping a death grip on the wheel as she navigated another muddy hole in the gravel. “I’m so sorry.”

“‘T’s okay just keep going,” Nick gritted out, his face red and beaded with sweat.

But it wasn’t okay. Not by a long shot and if they didn’t have PT appointments to keep or Nick’s first visit to Dr. Hopper to go to and another check in with Dr. Whale and Zoso needed more food and, if they had time, they would swing by the library to pick up the rest of their things, Belle wouldn’t even have bothered to get out of bed. Bed was cozy and comfortable and it smelled of Nick and of herself all mixed together in a heady perfume and it was the place where she was happiest so far in their marriage. It was their safe spot, where nothing outside their tiny family was allowed to invade. All talk about the accident and their homelessness and joblessness were banned once they crossed the bedroom door. The closest thing that came to it was when they spoke of what they would like for their future — usually after the lights were turned off and the blanket was draped over their heads. Their own little tent in their own little world where they could let their hands wander in exploration and kiss each other — finally, _actually_ kiss like she’d fantasized about for years… why would they ever want to leave that?

They made it to the paved road just as she was about to burst into tears and the drive became smoother then, though the road was still a bit slick with patches of ice. She drove slowly, not willing to risk another accident, and they pulled up in front of the low industrial building that housed the physical therapists’ offices just in time for his appointment. Belle slumped in her seat, laying her head on the steering wheel as she willed her muscles to relax. She didn’t think she could move an inch until she did by sheer willpower alone, every bone in her body feeling like they had been used as a cricket bat. She had the chair yanked out and ready for him, pretending that he wasn’t annoyed with her for not letting him do it himself. She wasn’t up for a fight or a lecture. She just wanted the day over with so they could go back home and hide under the covers. Where they belonged.

Dove was just as sweet as they left him, joking with Belle while she helped her husband through his exercises, declaring that his job was easy since she’d taken over. Belle didn’t like to think of it as taking over so much as she wanted to know how to help Nick at home. She wanted to be useful to her husband and not a sniveling sack of bones while she watched him struggle and no one was going to tell her to stop except Nick.

The morning flew by and lunch was spent discreetly counting their change in a booth at Granny’s. Two hamburgers and a couple iced teas plus tip and they were now cash broke, but blessedly full and it was with happier hearts that they rolled down the sidewalk towards the library.

She eyed the building warily, noting that the lights were off and the sign on the front doors was still flipped to ‘closed’. It should have been opened for hours and she first worried that something had happened to Ashley, then, with a guilty pang and a longing that she brutally stomped down upon, wished that something _had_.

As much as she liked her former assistant and didn’t wish harm on her, Belle wouldn’t have minded if there was an emergency on the other side of the country that needed Ashley’s immediate presence and maybe she could step back into her old job.

“Oh god, Nick,” she muttered, as she steered him towards the familiar and worn double doors and feeling like the worst person in the world — the kind that kicked puppies and plucked wings from butterflies. “I think I’m going to hell.”

He turned in his chair to look up at her, his mouth opened to ask her what she was talking about, when she tried the doors just in case and found them open. The place was quiet and dark and Belle hoped that she didn’t just jinx her friend with bad luck due to her careless thoughts. She would make it up to Ashley somehow — buy her something nice when she had money again or maybe take her out to lunch, just the two of them. She didn’t have to explain the why of it, she just needed to make up for the reckless wanderings of her brain.

Maybe she’d make an appointment with Dr. Hopper, too. Just to talk.

“Hello? Ashley?” she called out, pushing Nick slowly into the library. Her eyes, still tuned to every change in the library, zeroed in on the bulletin board with confusion and had just read the top announcement — “Congratulations Belle and Nick!!” And “Closed For a Private Event” underneath it— when the lights snapped on and the world library exploded in their ears.

“Surprise!”

Her mouth dropped open as their friends popped out from the shelves and behind the squashy chairs and the circulation desk while Nick jumped back in his wheelchair, accidentally smacking his stump against the side.

Belle stared, her hands on her chest, as she looked around. Everyone was there. Everyone who mattered. Ashley and her baby Alex straddling her hip, Marco, Regina and her brood, and Ruby who they had just left at Granny’s and must have run the back way to get here before they did, Graham and Emma and Jefferson with his little girl… half the town was there waiting for them with Dove, still in his gym sweats, lingering at the side where a large table was set up with a few colorful presents and a large cake smack in the center.

“What—” Nick began, but Regina held up her hand as she strode up, her I’m About to Make a Speech face on.

She stood in front of them in her crisp business suit and her hands folded in front of her in her official Mayoral Pose. “On behalf of the town of Storybrooke, we wanted to thank both of you for your service to our community—” She broke off, her eyes twinkling at them. “And give you a proper wedding reception… You know how much I love a party,” she added with a coy smile.

Belle looked down at Nick, then, silently asking if he was in on it, but he shook his head and mouthed “no idea” at her, his eyes wide and shining suspiciously.

She grabbed at Nick’s hand, squeezing it tight, feeling her own eyes well up again and she was heartily sick of the emotional roller coaster she’d been on in the past month, but she couldn’t help it. Her heart felt full to bursting.

“I know there’s no eating in the library,” Ashley whispered as she scurried over. “But this was the only place big enough and we knew you’d be here today.”

Belle, the tears finally flowing, just shook her head and wrapped her arms around her friend, sobbing quietly into her hair, unable to suppress her them any longer.

“Are you okay?” Ashley asked, rubbing small circles between the shoulders.

Belle nodded and pulled away, wiping at her cheeks with shaking hands. “Yeah. Just… overwhelmed a bit. I had no idea you were planning this.” She looked away, ashamed of her reaction and of her earlier thoughts. Now that the lights were on and she wasn’t so focused on the people jumping out at her and screaming, she noticed the printed sheets of paper taped across the window in a makeshift banner (B + N Tru Luv) and the crepe twisted around and around the front shelves and over the circulation desk until the place looked like an explosion at a candy cane factory.

“It was all Regina really. She just came in and took over,” she said, pulling at Belle’s hand toward the table while Nick followed close behind. They were placed behind the cake, nearly as long as the table itself and decorated with large swirls and bloops of frosting that made her teeth ache just to look at it.

A camera flashed, blinding them, and Belle looked down with the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach knowing that her official wedding reception photos will consist of the two of them wearing their grubby workout clothes, that her hair was a wreck and she had forgone make up in anticipation of the PT session earlier that day. She glanced at Nick who was smirking at her, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

“We’re going to have that one blown up and framed for our living room,” he told her, pulling himself up by the handles in order to whisper in her ear.

She smiled at him, her eyes glittering dangerously. “Over my dead body,” she told him, her lips not even moving.

“Okay,” he acquiesced. “We’ll put it up in the bedroom. Over the bed.”

She put her lips against the shell of his ear. “Nev-verrr.” She pulled back, giving him a sultry look to find everyone staring at them. “Um…”

“A toast!” Ruby called out to break the awkward silence, holding up a clear plastic cup filled with something pink and bubbly. “To our best friend and our sweetest librarian. Thank God they finally got together because it was getting ridiculous and we were all drowning in your UST.” She looked at Nick and Belle in turn, eyeing them severely. “Really guys, it was bad. Some of us were ready to just lock you in a closet until you came out pregnant.”

There was a resounding chorus of “hear hear!” much to Belle’s eternal chagrin, wondering just how long the entire town knew of their affections for each other and when, if ever, anyone was going to point it out to one of them. Someone shoved a chair at her and she plopped down, grateful to hide her heated face behind the cake.

“Were we that obvious?” she asked, leaning over Nick’s shoulder until their cheeks nearly touching. She leaned into him for a second, having already missed the closeness of the cabin, but something glinted in her peripheral vision and she turned her head, bird-like, to get a better look.

“Apparently everyone knew but us,” he whispered, glancing up at her, his own ears reddening. He noticed her distraction. “What is it?”

She pulled back half an inch staring at his hair. It had grown out a bit since his accident. He had kept it fairly short due to his job — regulations and personal preference kept it cropped close, but there had been so many other things that had been more important than a haircut that he was no longer required to have and, comparatively speaking, he was a shaggy beast. His face had the beginnings of a decent beard

She licked her lips. “You have gray hair,” she told him, glancing back at his eyes, warm and soft and sparkling at her in a way that made her breath catch.

“I do?” he asked, surprised.

“It’s no wonder really with all you’ve been through,” she said, touching a tiny lock with her finger. It was sticking out over the tip of his ear. Adorable.

He went cross-eyed trying to look up at it, but his hair wasn’t quite that long yet.

“Is it bad? Should I dye it?”  

“No! No, it’s not bad at all. I like it. Keep it,” she insisted, her words falling over themselves in an effort to reassure him. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”

“Well, the lighting’s been... dim.”

“We’ve had other things to worry about,” she murmured. She scratched her fingers through the scruff on his cheek. There was a small bit of gray shot through it, too. How had they not noticed this before now?

“I’ve been meaning to shave,” he said, his cheeks wrinkling as he turned his head towards her.

“Why?” she asked, pulling back to look at him.

He stared at her for a moment before smiling. “I don’t know.”

“Leave it. See how long it gets before you get sick of it,” she suggested.

“Or until you get sick of it. It’s scratchy.”

She stroked the stubble a bit longer, thinking of what it might feel like between her legs and how soon they’d be able to find out. “Yeah, I don’t think that’ll be a problem,’ she said, feeling a bit squirmy in her seat. “Just so long as you’re comfortable.”

“Y’all done?” Leroy said, breaking the spell as he loomed over them with a gaggle of kids behind him. He had a paper plate in one hand and a plastic spork in the other. “We want cake.”

Belle jerked back, tearing her eyes away from Nick took more effort than she thought she was capable of. “Um. Yeah,” she said, distracted, her mind definitely not on cake. “Is there a… thingy?” she asked, holding her hand out flat and making a slashing motion. “Knife cutter... thing?”

Someone slapped a dull knife in her hand, which she stuck into the cake. She waited for Nick to put her hand on hers so they could do the job — proper-like — and with shy looks at each other, they cut a small piece together.

Nick leaned over and whispered out of the side of his mouth at her. “Why is this a tradition again?”  


“I think so people can watch cake get smashed into someone’s face?” she said, wrinkling her nose at him.

“I’m not smashing it,” he hissed.

“You get to lick it off if you do,” she whispered back, smiling coyly at him as she took a bit and held it up for him to eat, trying to tempt him to take a bite.

He hesitated, his own piece of cake hovering near her lips. “But the kids?” he asked, glancing towards Alexandra.

She glanced over the table at the row of tiny people staring at them, their own plates in their tiny hands and watching their every move with very large eyes.  Or, rather, watching the cake they were holding.

She sighed, pretending to be disappointed. “Okay, you win. No smashing—”

“Stop negotiating peace treaties and just feed it to her already,” David Nolan called from the back to the laughter of everyone in the library.

Nick rolled his eyes and held fed it to her with two fingers, smearing the frosting on her lips just enough to remind her that he _could_ have smashed it, but didn’t. She kept her eyes on him as she opened her mouth and accepted it, fingers and all, sucking on them lightly before pulling away.

There was tiny, disgusted voice at the edge of the table. “Ew.”

Nick smirked at her and opened his mouth to accept her piece of cake, closing his lips around it and bit down. Hard.

“Mmf!” Belle’s mouth was full of cake, too full to swallow, but Nick was biting her thumb. She yanked, but it was trapped between his teeth and he bore down until tears sprang to her eyes. “Mmmff! Ddop!”

She yanked her hand back again and his eyes widened in shock and horror as he realized what was happening.

He let go enough for her to slip her thumb out of his mouth before swallowing loudly. “That was you?”

“What the hell were you thinking,” she hissed at him, cradling her thumb against her chest.

His face crinkled with shame. “I thought it was a walnut! I’m so sorry!” He took her hand, stroking the top of her hand softly. “Is it bleeding?”

“No, I don’t think so. Just bruised,” she said, as they looked at it.

“God you guys really need some help,” Leroy muttered, dragging the cake towards him and began to slice it up into neat, even pieces before distributing it to the kids who held out their plates like a tiny army of Oliver Twists.

Belle stared at him for a second before going back to reassuring Nick that she was fine, her thumb still worked and that it was an accident as he kissed it over and over again.

After their cake was distributed and eaten and when Belle’s thumb stopped throbbing, they left the table to circulate among their friends that had come to celebrate their marriage. Belle felt a bit odd, like she was floating just outside herself as she talked to Mary Margaret and David or chatted with Katherine. Being around her friends felt like a part of her former life, something that she had left behind even though it was only a few days ago that she was gainfully employed and speaking to these very same people in the very same spot. Nothing felt right to her, even as she talked and smiled and sipped at the bubbling cider Regina provided in lieu of actual alcohol. She only felt real when she was near Nick, his hands were the only thing that felt solid to her (as did his teeth) and she stayed close to him for the remainder of the party, only leaving when Dove helped him to the bathroom while she paced the hallway until they emerged again.

Dove and Leroy helped pack Belle’s car with the leftover food and cake and the presents while she and Nick thanked everyone for coming as they filed out. The library was opening back up to the public in a few minutes and Ashley had to erase all evidence of a private party.

Reinga stayed behind to help and give it an official mayoral seal of approval just in case anyone complained.

“I’m really glad I don’t have to clean this up,” Belle told her, only half joking as she watched Ashley take charge. “How long—”

“Since you holed yourselves up in the cabin up there in the Hundred Acre Wood,” Regina said. “And there’s something else,” she said, handing her the green plastic hat she used during St. Patrick’s Day.

Belle looked in and blanched.

“What is it?” Nick asked, craning his neck to see inside.

Belle silently handed it to him, looking away in embarrassment, an uneasy knot settling in her stomach.

“Oh.”

Oh, indeed. They had literally passed the hat. Belle counted about twenty singles just laying up on top, no telling how many more was stuffed underneath.

“I don’t know if we can accept this,” she said, whispering at Nick.

“Are you kidding?” Regina said, walking up behind them. “You have no choice. We’ve been powerless to stop the shit avalanche that’s been piling your way — pardon my French,” she said, smiling a big politician’s smile at the people around them before turning her attention back to Belle and Nick. “This is the least we can do to make up for it.”

“But—” Nick began.

Regina held up a hand. “No.”

“Um… thank you very much,” Belle said, gingerly taking it from Nick and clutching the hat close to her belly. They’d count the money very carefully then decide what to do with it later. Somehow it would be repaid or paid forward or given to people who really needed it, but right now wasn’t the time to quibble about it. Their friends had given them the money out of the goodness of their hearts, it would be a slap in the face if they refused.

It had begun to drizzle as she wheeled Nick back out to her car, carrying the hat in his lap along with a pile of mail Marco had brought in from the apartment. She was exhausted and the thought of driving back over the pitted gravel road gave her the beginnings of a stress headache. She didn’t know if she could do it. It was dark and raining now and Nick was fading fast. They could spend the night in town, but Zoso was still at the cabin waiting for them and he would need to be fed and let out. They had to go back.

Her fingers shook as she tried to put the key into the ignition, fumbling until she got it inserted. The engine sputtered to life and she immediately cranked the heat up as high as it would go, not wanting to drive in the frigid cold.

“You okay,” she asked turning to look at Nick, who was uncharacteristically quiet.

He was staring down at a letter in his hand in disbelief then slowly looked up at her, his eyes glistening with unshed tears and his face softening as he let out a huge sigh.

“What is it?” she asked, stumbling over the words as her heart skittered and thumped against her chest. “What happened?”

He held up the letter and a check that was enclosed with it. “My first pension check,” he said, his voice cracking. “We’re going to be okay, Belle,” he told her with a tremulous smile. “We’re going to be okay.”


	24. Flash Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What lies in the future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been meaning to write a new Valentine's Day snippet for these two for a while. Warning: This is really, really short.

_ February 14, Two years later… _

 

***

 

He was walking again. Granted, he was still a bit wobbly and he needed a cane on most days, but he was up and he was walking and it was practically a miracle. 

He had a home, his dog, a  _ wife _ . A life. 

How could that be anything less than a miracle?

Nick sat at the edge of the bed staring in disbelief at his legs. There was a new prosthesis underneath his trousers, a thin tube of alloys and carbon fiber and suspension gear that looked like it came straight out of a science fiction movie (and, if he was being honest, the theme to The Terminator ran through his head like an earwig whenever he wore strapped it on). The new leg made his pants drape weirdly when he sat down, but he didn’t much care. Walking still felt awkward to him as if he had just come ashore after a year on ship, but Belle had been diligent in making sure he did all his physical therapy until the movements were almost natural. He wondered what had happened to his old one, the real one. Probably incinerated with all the rest of the medical waste. This new one was nice. Fancy with space age parts that smelled a bit of the lubricant used to grease the moving parts. He lifted his thigh and watched as the leg adjusted and bent to his movements. He figured he was roughly one fourth of a bionic man now and the thought made the fourteen year-old inside him grin. Hell, he’d read online that he could have one  _ printed  _ now, how crazy was that? Definitely some futuristic shit right there. 

“Hey!” Belle peeked around the corner, her head tilted in that oh-so Belle-like way that made his heart ache. “You coming?” 

She cut her hair a few weeks ago. Now, instead of falling down her back in soft waves, it bounced and curled around her shoulders. Very springy and very fun. Still enough to grab onto when matters between them got frisky. 

Was it rude to leer at your own wife?

Probably, but Nick didn’t care. It was much more fun to think of the lazy afternoon they spent in bed instead of his prosthetic leg. She stepped into the doorway, folding her arms as she leaned against the doorway. Nick stared at her -- she was even more miraculous than his shiny new leg.

Belle’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but there was a gentle smile on her pink lips. “What is it? You’re plotting something. You have that cat-that-ate-the-canary grin going on.” 

She came in and nudged her way between his knees, running a hand through his long hair. Nick had a sneaking suspicion that he was being petted, but it felt too good to protest.

Did he? He didn’t know he had such an expression. He leaned into her hand, enjoying the way her nails scratched at his scalp. “Just looking forward to going out on Valentine’s Day with my wife. It’s our first Valentine’s date.”

Her cheeks colored a bit as she bit her lip. “I know. We spent last year occupied with your recovery and then Malcolm--” she 

Nick swallowed. He’d been an idiot. “And the year before you were out with someone else,” he croaked out after a moment.

Her expression softened. “I’d have rather have been with you, you know. If you’d asked. I was hoping you would.”

“I didn’t know how.”

Her lips quirked up, ruefully. “Yeah, I kinda figured.” She leaned back a bit and took his hands in hers. “I should have mustered up the courage myself. Asked you out on a date.”

Her hands were so small within his, completely and ridiculously tiny -- and he wasn’t exactly a giant to begin with -- but they were strong and capable and perfect and had managed to carry his sorry ass for more than a year. He cradled them, thumbing the wedding ring he’d given her for their first wedding anniversary.

She must have sensed his solemn mood. “Hey. Did you want to stay in?” she asked, her forehead wrinkled in concern.

_ What _ ? “No. This year I don’t want to stay in and feel sorry for myself. I’m breaking that tradition. This year I want to go dancing with my beautiful wife and treat her to a dinner that consists of something that used to moo or oink.”

She ducked her head, stifling a laugh. “So romantic. And then?” she asked, looking at him again with shining eyes, her lips pressed together in a playful smirk she was desperately -- and failing -- to hide.

“And then I’m going to bring her back home, peel off that gorgeous dress--”

“I thought you didn’t notice.”

He rubbed his hands over her hips, letting the silky fabric slip and slide against her skin. “And make love to her.”

“The dress?”

“My  _ wife _ , silly.” He leaned up, pressing his lips softly against her lips.

She giggled into his mouth, cupping his cheeks before deepening the kiss. She held him close until she pulled away, looking very satisfied and very well kissed and thoroughly mussed.

“You were distracting me again weren’t you? He asked, a bit dazed.

She nodded then gave him a sweet peck on the corner of his mouth, whispering. “Yeah I was. You should kiss me again, it’s working.”

 


End file.
